Triple Crown success for Justify

Justify became just the 13th horse to win the American racing Triple Crown after winning the Belmont Stakes in New York.

The undefeated Bob Baffert-trained three-year-old, who had already won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, stormed through the mile-and-a-half ‘Test of the Champion' at Belmont to write his name into the history books.

It is the second time Baffert has trained a horse to the Triple Crown following on from American Pharoah's success in 2005, while Justify is the first unbeaten horse to achieve the feat since Seattle Slew in 1977.

Baffert told NBC Sports: “It's just amazing. I'm so proud to be an American and feel this way, it's very emotional for me.

“It never gets old. American Pharoah, he'll always be my first love and for this horse to do it, and for [jockey] Mike Smith – Mike deserves something like this. There's no more deserving than him. I told him ‘welcome to the club'.”

He added: “He was showing me the same signs (as American Pharoah), the brilliance, a superior horse. I wanted to see that horse's name up there, because we knew he was brilliant from day one.

“I can't believe I'm here in New York winning it again.”

Hall of Fame jockey Smith – the oldest rider to win the Triple Crown at the age of 52 – added: “This horse is so gifted. He's sent from heaven, it's just amazing. He's just brilliant.

“I can't describe the emotions right now.”