I completely agree with Texarkana and understood exactly what she was saying in the original post.
But still really wish the media would have not reported he was " not lame". I get they were implying that it wasn’t a permanent lameness issue. But he was three legged on the turn. To say he isn’t lame just further muddles the situation.
He is very charming but he lost me as a fan when he that streak of horses dropping dead a few years back and admitted to directing vets to prescribe thyroxine to all of his horses. Just wrong on all fronts and thats just one drug he got called out on.
From the most recent article in the BH.
Justify is scheduled to go to the track tomorrow. From the equine medical director for KHRC Mary Scollay
“They made a revision to the shoe on the hind foot. He got treated with an anti-inflammatory on Monday and when we looked at him yesterday, it had been 24 hours since he had received any medication, so we were quite confident that what we were seeing was an accurate representation of what was going on with him. We turned him in a tight circle in each direction. There was no evidence of reluctance to move or favoring the leg. He jogged like a show horse. If we were to see him and he looked like that in pre-race exam, we would have been perfectly satisfied with him.”
In reading all the comments, sounds like BB was a bit caught out by the LH issue and not being aware of it. Took Justfy out to show him off after winning and discovered the hard way that Justify had some “issue” with the LH. If it hadn’t been caught until Justify was brought out of his stall to show off, whoever was leading him would have had to had some quick lines to say. I could see if Justify had been in his stall Sunday morning until BB took him out, that maybe the sore hind wouldn’t have been caught until later in the day.
Tomorrow will be the next “show” with everyone, I am sure, watching Justify like a hawk 
PETA, the public, other possible Preakness trainers, you name it…
It seems we aren’t the only ones that were puzzled…https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-rac…eturn-to-track
can you please give video link?
I believe Baffert for the most part. Justify walked out of the barn on soft ground pretty soundly and it was only once he had stepped on the gravel that he appeared to be hurting pretty badly. I don’t think any of them would’ve taken him out in tight quarters with media if he appeared to be that “off”. They would’ve kept him in the shed row and chalked it up to a safety issue with him being surrounded by media in close quarters.
Baffert was pretty open to saying the horse has had an issue with scratches in the past so they immediately started treating him for it. But then again the vets involved said there were no signs of it on the horse.
I thought it was a bruise the minute I saw the video. The entire field ran on a sealed, soaking wet track. That is very hard surface to hit when running full gallop. I am surprised more of them didn’t have bruised feet.
Baffert got caught lying about what the potential issue was, he was put on the spot trying to answer the medias inquiries. In the end it’s just a bruised heel. No big deal. It could happen out in the field in turnout. Some horses are more sensitive to bruises then others. At the end of the day; he’s fine and will resume training like normal. We can all be thankful for that
Yeah, like I said, I’m not his biggest fan. The loss of those horses is bad enough. But on top of that I’m just not that into the corporate, mega barn operation that Lukas pioneered or trainers who are more administrators than horseman.
(and okay, I bear a grudge over Abel Tasman’s transfer to his barn… seriously not a fan of CHC)
I always think of a something I read Jack Van Berg saying, to the effect of how much easier it is to look like a genius when you can buy the expensive ones. I sometimes wonder how much success can be attributed to getting pricey talent, how much can be attributed to all the hands-on assistants and staff… in short, how much the success of a trainer like Baffert is just a self-fulfilling prophesy these days.
I’m kind of annoyed with myself for, instead of admiring Justify’s talent last Saturday, blurting “come on! How many ‘horses of lifetime’ does this guy get?”
And then there’s the drugs.
according to several reports, Justify galloped and was 100%. Sigh of relief. https://twitter.com/DRFMcGee/status/994543545125089280
Edited to add the other report I saw was the Louisville Courier. On BH an hour ago now.
Haven’t seen anything “official” yet… just checked BH and Paulick’s Report (but not DRF).
BB may not be perfect but there are many less than perfect trainers out there that never get the media time a trainer of top TB’s like BB get.
He must have some ability as a trainer or owners/connections wouldn’t send their top horses to him nor would they consult with him at sales such as Keeneland September. He may not be everyone’s style of trainer… different horses for different courses as it were.
If I just paid $1.5M for a racing prospect, I’d want to give that prospect every opportunity to be successful and part of that would be, for me, sending the horse to a trainer that I feel can bring out the best… maybe that wouldn’t be BB but it would be harder to pick a smaller trainer.
Trainers such as Chip Woolley and horses such as Mine That Bird are few and far in between
I’d try to stack the deck somewhat in my horse’s favor if I could.
Oh no doubt the whole way around and that’s why his arsenal is loaded. And likewise, Pletcher’s. You have to get there first, before the big owners with the million dollar yearling purchases beat a path to your door. And that certainly takes ability and talent.
But I’d still want tickets if they ever make a gameshow: Pick My Plain Bay 2YO Out Of A Lineup :lol:
ETA: my perspective as a fan and $2 bettor isn’t the same as an owner making a big investment. Personally, I need to feel good about the connections otherwise, it’s hard for me.
There is something to be said for having a barn full of pricey talent, but success draws success. In my eyes, Baffert has paid his dues. He came up the hard way, through the QH racing ranks in the SW. He was not born into KY royalty. He had years of success with his big owners in the 90’s, especially The Thoroughbred Corporation. When Prince Ahmed bin Salman died, it seemed like the beginning of a decade-long slump for Baffert. It is only in recent years that he climbed back up to the top.
FWIW, I have always liked his style and loved watching his horses run.
Well, if it is a heel bruise…certainly that’s VERY possible. I rode my horse on a Thursday night - he was fine. Went out to ride him Friday - three-legged lame. I mean STAGGERING (front leg). Both I and very experienced horseman who owns the barn examined the leg and hoof. All we could find was very minor tenderness in one heel bulb, Man, it was hard to even LOOK at the horse - I thought he might have a coffin bone fracture, but BO was all “sudden onset lameness, most likely abscess” Gave him 2 gr bute and went to check in the morning (15 hours later). Sound horse. Talked to vet on phone and he agreed with possibility of abscess, but felt if after 15 hours he was sound on that little bute, I should wait it out. So I treated as abscess (poultice. etc./no more drugs). Vet was out for another boarder the following Thursday, pulled shoe, poked, prodded, trimmed…nothing. Heel wasn’t even still sore. Horse was fine 15 hours after initial SEVERE lameness and stayed sound. So…heel bruise?..could very well happen. It is strange that it wasn’t spotted until Baffert brought him out, but obviously it wasn’t as severe as my horse’s incident, and if they were just shifting him around in stall as they cleaned it, etc., it might not have been noticed
I am guessing he jogged sound for all involved before they even considered taking him out for a gallop today. Onward!
Apparently galloped well today, as per Bloodhorse:
https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/227463/justify-has-easy-gallop-in-return-to-the-track
Looked good in the 10-12 second video snippets I saw.
Look closely at pic of hind legs during his bath–does it look like the inside back part of the shoe has been removed? Maybe to ease pressure on heel?
Yup. The article mentions that it is a 3/4 shoe with the heel area relieved.
I’m sure they did a digital nerve block to isolate the problem to that area. Hopefully there is not a blind quarter crack. It is very encouraging that they sent him to the track and he galloped good. If there was any suspicion of anything worse he would not have trained.
He also lost me years ago with derogatory comments about one of his horses that didn’t run as expected. He displayed neither class nor sportsmanship as the losing trainer.
Last summer at Del Mar when Arrogate lost twice on the track prior to the Breeders Cup, Baffert said the horse didn’t like the footing. He was very public about it, and influencing the media and betting public at the same time. Well then, why run Arrogate in the Breeders Cup ? Why risk such an elite horse ? Arrogate lost that race too. Jockey Mike Smith said after the race that the horse doesn’t like the footing.
Bafftert is simply a successful businessman in the commodities field.
Lame on both hinds, poor thing. 
I understand the drive for money but Baffert is filthy rich, at least show some form of respect for the animal being used for personal success.
Training race horses is just that simple, isn’t it?
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
