Justify Wins Preakness, Set For Triple Crown at Belmont

BALTIMORE -- It wasn't an easy win . . . thick fog and pushed to the limit. But Justify held on to win the 143rd Preakness Stakes Saturday and will now aim for the Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes June 9.

The track was sloppy and the fog was so dense that the capacity crowd had to strain to view the race.

Justify rounded the final turn and hit the top of the stretch winded but with the lead.

It was a match race between Justify and Good Magic until the stretch run when Justify was pushed to the limit by Bravazo and Tenfold and ended up winning by a half-length in 1:55.93. Bravazo came in second with Tenfold third and Good Magic fourth.

Bob Baffert's America Pharoah won the Triple crown in 2015. Baffert tied D. Wayne Lukas' record with his 14th Triple Victory victoyr and matched trainer R.W. Walden with his seventh Preakness title.

The chance for a second Baffert's American Pharoah did in 2015.

Justify, who paid $2.80, $2.80 and $2.60 as the favorite, improved to 5-0