Justify, trained by an accomplished Bob Baffert, won the 144th Kentucky Derby this past Saturday, May 5. He was ridden by veteran jockey Mike Smith and split ownership between China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners LLC, Starlight Racing, and WinStar Farm. This was Smith’s second Derby win. Justify was placed 7 in the post, and was also the early favorite with odds of 5-2.

Justify was unfazed by the sloppy track conditions, as this year’s Run for the Roses was recorded as the wettest Derby in history. Justify was one of the front-runners over the 1¼ mile track. He won by 2½ lengths.

The Kentucky Derby was Justify’s first race as a two-year-old. In 1882, a racehorse named Apollo won the Derby with his first race as a two-year-old; however, Justify’s race was the first time it had been accomplished in 136 years. This was known as the Curse of Apollo, and Justify, defying the odds, broke the curse.

Justify will be competing in the Preakness Stakes on May 19, located at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Baffert is looking to have another Triple Crown winner alongside American Pharoah, who won in 2015.