NEW YORK (AP) — Justify is seeking to become horse racing's 13th Triple Crown winner and second in four years when he runs in the Belmont Stakes.
The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner is the early 4-5 favorite for Saturday's 1 ½-mile Belmont, the longest and most grueling of the three-race series.
If Justify beats nine rivals in the 150th Belmont, Bob Baffert would become the second trainer to win the Triple Crown twice. He did so in 2015 with American Pharoah, a colt that ended a 37-year drought.
Justify is 5-0 in a career that began with his first race in February. He didn't compete as a 2-year-old.
Baffert will saddle a second horse: 30-1 shot Restoring Hope.
Trainer Todd Pletcher also has two horses in the field — 8-1 Vino Rosso and 30-1 Noble Indy.
The forecast calls for a high of 80 degrees and cloudy skies. Post time is 6:46 p.m. ET.
Coverage begins at 4 p.m. ET on WPTV NewsChannel 5.