Belmont Stakes Results 2018: Video Replay of Justify's Triple Crown Win

Triple Crown winners are quite rare in thoroughbred racing.

When Justify went to the post Saturday at the Belmont Stakes in New York, he had a chance to become the 13th Triple Crown winner in the sport's history. He did not let his supporters down, as he won the 1 1/2-mile race in remarkable fashion.

For those who are new to the sport, they may remember that American Pharoah won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes in 2015, and two winners in a four-year span may not seem that rare.

However, prior to American Pharoah's victory, the last Triple Crown winner had taken place in 1978 when Affirmed won all three races.

That 37-year interval was a long dry spell and left may horse racing insiders thinking that it might not happen again.

But American Pharoah was a super horse, and Justify may be even better.

The challenge for the eventual champion came not only from the nine rivals that he faced on the track but also from the grueling distance of the race. The Kentucky Derby is 1 1/4 miles, while the Preakness is just a tad shorter at 1 3/16 miles.

Trainer Bob Baffert had to prepare his charge to run a significantly longer race just three weeks after his victory in Baltimore at the Preakness.

Justify drew the No. 1 post, and while that would have been an issue in the crowded 20-horse field at Churchill Downs, it was not a problem at Belmont Park.

Justify was able to break quickly and avoid even a hint of traffic or jostling.

While that was a good thing, neither Baffert nor jockey Mike Smith could afford to let Justify run too quickly, too soon in such a lengthy race. He ran a fairly sharp quarter-mile, but Smith was able to maintain a clear lead and slow his horse down through the half-mile and three-quarter-mile marks.

Justify's time at the four-furlong mark (half-mile) was 48.11 and a reasonable 1:13.21 after six panels.

Justify was not challenged running around the far turn, but Vino Rosso was just a length behind at the top of the stretch. Smith asked his horse to run at that point, but not at full speed because the Belmont Park stretch run is so long. He was able to distance himself from that challenger, and when he asked Justify to pick up the pace during the middle of the stretch run, he was in excellent shape.

At that point, Gronkowski was charging from the back of the pack, and he was able to run a stellar race and finish second. However, he was not able to get close enough to Justify to give the Triple Crown winner or his connections any anxiety.

2018 Belmont Stakes Results (via NBC Broadcast)

Horse—Distance Behind (Post, Jockey, Trainer)

1. Justify (1, Mike Smith, Bob Baffert) Payout: $800,000

2. Gronkowski—1 3/4 lengths (6, Jose Ortiz, Chad Brown) Payout: $280,000

3. Hofburg—3 1/2 lengths (4, Irad Ortiz, William Mott) Payout: $150,000

4. Vino Rosso—3 3/4 lengths (8, John Velazquez, Todd Pletcher)

5. Tenfold—7 1/4 lengths (7, Ricardo Santana Jr., Steve Asmussen)

6. Bravazo—8 1/2 lengths (3, Luis Saez, D. Wayne Lukas)

7. Free Drop Billy—9 1/2 lengths (2, Robby Albarado, Dale Romans)

8. Restoring Hope—38 3/4 lengths (5, Florent Geroux, Bob Baffert)

9. Blended Citizen—51 3/4 lengths (10, Kyle Frey, Doug O'Neill)

10. Noble Indy—54 lengths (9, Javier Castellano, Todd Pletcher)

Baffert, who also trained American Pharoah, earned his second Triple Crown. He is only the second trainer in the sport's history to accomplish the feat, and he joined "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons, who trained Gallant Fox in 1930 and Omaha in 1935.

It was the first Triple Crown victory for Smith. Both men were ecstatic after the win. Their words were tinged with emotion as they spoke after the race.

Baffert credited his team of assistants for doing an outstanding job of preparing Justify for the grueling three-race, five-week grind.

Smith was ecstatic with the victory. "This horse ran a tremendous race, he's so gifted," said Smith, on the NBC broadcast, (h/t ESPN.com). "He's sent from heaven. I tell you, it's just amazing. I can't describe the emotions going through my body right now."

2018 Belmont Stakes Payouts (via NBC Broadcast)

1st: Justify 4-5 (Win: $3.60; Place: $3.50; Show: $2.80)

2nd: Gronkowski 24-1 (Place: $13.80; Show: $7.00)

3rd: Hofburg 5-1 (Show: $3.70)

$2 Exacta (1-6): $89.00

$1 Trifecta (1-6-4): $229.74

$1 Superfecta (1-6-4-8): $1,051.50