{"id":15801,"date":"2018-05-05T23:16:00","date_gmt":"2018-05-05T23:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/2018\/05\/05\/justify-breaks-136-year-old-curse-to-win-the-kentucky-derby\/"},"modified":"2018-05-05T23:16:00","modified_gmt":"2018-05-05T23:16:00","slug":"justify-breaks-136-year-old-curse-to-win-the-kentucky-derby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/justify-breaks-136-year-old-curse-to-win-the-kentucky-derby\/","title":{"rendered":"Justify Breaks 136-Year-Old Curse To Win The Kentucky Derby"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Emma Bowman<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n

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\n Mike Smith rides Justify to victory during the 144th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs Saturday, in Louisville, Ky.<\/p>\n

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Darron Cummings\/AP<\/p>\n

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Darron Cummings\/AP<\/p>\n

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Updated at 8:48 p.m. ET<\/strong><\/p>\n

After a day of steady rain on Churchill Downs, it was Justify who managed to cross the finish line first in the mud.<\/p>\n

Justify brought Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith a second Derby victory, on top of his and trainer Bob Baffert’s $1.24 million of the $2 million total prize. Smith previously won aboard Giacomo in 2005. Bafftert, the Triple Crown-winning trainer of American Pharoah, seals his fifth Derby win. <\/p>\n

After charging ahead at the final turn, the undefeated chesnut colt held off Good Magic, finishing by two and a half lengths in 2 minutes 4.20 seconds. Audible, a favorite backed by Amazon’s audiobook company of the same name, finished third. <\/p>\n

Baffert says Justify’s early speed helped notch first. “When he got away clean, then I thought we had a chance,” he told NBC Sports after the race. “We had to get away. Then Mike took his time.”<\/p>\n

“He’s got that ‘it’ factor,” Smith said. “He is so above average, he’s got unbelievable talent and he’s got a mind to go with it. He was loving this stuff.” <\/p>\n