Justify Wins Belmont Stakes to Become 13th Triple Crown Winner

Justify has won the Triple Crown.

The Preakness and Kentucky Derby winner became thoroughbred racing’s 13th Triple Crown with a front-running victory in the Belmont Stakes.

American Pharoah ended a 37-year Triple Crown drought in 2015. It was the second Triple Crown for trainer Bob Baffert and the first for jockey Mike Smith.

Gronkowski finished second in the 1 1/2 mile race. Hofburg was third in the thrilling race, in which Justify was challenged momentarily at the top of the stretch and then pushed off to the roars of a crowd of 90,000.

“WinStar Farm owns 60 percent of Justify’s breeding rights and China Horse Club 25 owns percent. Though, it’s the third group, “a secretive entity that holds the remaining 15 percent” that has avoided the spotlight. Soros Fund Management owns SF Bloodstock and SF Racing Group, an international breeding and racing entity launched in 2008,” as Breitbart News reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.