Justify

Justify (foaled March 28, 2015) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is known for being the thirteenth winner of the American Triple Crown. He also was the first horse since Apollo in 1882 to win the Kentucky Derby without racing as a two-year-old. Justify first attracted attention with a win in his debut race on February 18, 2018. He followed up with two more victories, including the Grade One Santa Anita Derby that qualified him for the 2018 Kentucky Derby. Justify then won that race and the 2018 Preakness Stakes and 2018 Belmont Stakes to win the Triple Crown. He was retired undefeated several weeks after the Belmont and became the only American Triple Crown winner who was never beaten in his entire career. Justify is only the second horse to win the American Triple Crown with an undefeated record, following Seattle Slew, from whom Justify is descended. Other Justify ancestors include Secretariat, Count Fleet, War Admiral, Omaha, and Gallant Fox, all of whom also won the American Triple Crown. He is also a descendant of English Triple Crown winner Nijinsky. Of the 13 American Triple Crown winners, Justify is the first who did not race as a two-year-old. On September 11, 2019, it was revealed via The New York Times that Justify tested positive for scopolamine, a banned substance that can be performance enhancing, in excess of what is normally found in tainted feed. The positive came just a few days after the Santa Anita Derby and would have normally resulted in a disqualification but the California Horse Racing Board ultimately dismissed the case.