We are on the cusp of seeing the 13th Triple Crown in history and the second in just three years if the early odds of Justify are any indication of his true chances in the Belmont Stakes on June 9.
The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner is currently even money to win the Triple Crown and follow in the footsteps of American Pharoah, who swept the three races in 2015 to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.
The colt is trained by Bob Baffert, who saddled American Pharoah, and the trainer would become just the second trainer in history to have two Triple Crown winners. Jim Fitzsimmons trained both Gallant Fox (1930) and Omaha (1935).
There have been 35 horses that have been good enough to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness but of those just 12 have won the Belmont Stakes and completed the Triple Crown.
Standing in the way of Justify will be a solid group of runners that include the Preakness runner up and third place finishers Bravazo and Tenfold, who were both making up ground late in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness. The Belmont is the longest of the three races at 1 ½ miles.
Bravazo is currently 9-1 and Tenfold 12-1 in early Belmont Stakes betting.
Justify will also face a fresh challenge from Blended Citizen, who won the local prep, the Peter Pan Stakes. The colt is 12-1.
Among the most dangerous foes he faces could be runners he beat in the Run for the Roses and who skipped the Preakness and come into the race fresher than the short-priced favorite.
Among those is Derby third place finisher Audible, who is the current second choice on the early Belmont Stakes odds at 5-1. His connections also own part of Justify, and it is possible they may hold this colt out to enhance the Triple Crown chances of Justify.
Hofburg was the runner up in the Florida Derby and impressed in the mornings at Churchill Downs during Derby week but had to settle for seventh. The colt is currently at odds of 7-1.
Vino Rosso was sent off as the seventh choice in the Derby at 14-1 and raced wide throughout in a ninth-place finish for trainer Todd Pletcher, who has won the Belmont three times including with Tapwrit last year. That colt had run sixth in the Derby and skipped the Preakness.
Over the past 15 years, the Belmont winner had run in the Derby 11 times while the Belmont winner had competed in the Preakness just three times — Afleet Alex (2005), Da ‘Tara (2008) and American Pharoah (2015).