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Associated Press
NEW YORK — Justify turned in another strong gallop Friday in his final preparation for a Triple Crown bid in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes.
The chestnut colt will be the odds-on favorite Saturday to become the 13th horse to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont.
Similar to Thursday, Justify went 1 3/8 miles in what Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert called “another smooth, good day.” He said Justify has been “moving over the track really well,” adding “this is what a trainer hopes to see the day before his horse runs.”
Baffert will be looking to saddle a second Triple Crown champion, joining American Pharoah in 2015.
Ron Turcotte was among those watching Justify’s final Belmont drill. Turcotte rode Secretariat to the Triple Crown in 1973 and now needs a wheelchair since a racing spill in 1978.