Triple Crown Winner Welcomes First Foal

There's exciting news in the horse world as the 2018 Triple Crown Winner, Justify, just became a daddy for the first time. The new foal was born on January 3 in Lexington, KY to a mare named Foreign Affair. Both mom and baby are doing well.

The new foal's owner, Audley Farm, announced the birth on their Facebook page. We'll have to wait awhile for an official name announcement, but suggestions are already pouring in. Fans are suggesting names like "Justifiable Starz" and "Justifiable Affiar" to honor both her famous father and well-bred mother. This is also Foreign Affair's first foal, and she's reportedly doing well with her new baby.

https://www.facebook.com/audleyfarm/photos/pcb.2617734118470994/2617734038471002/?type=3&theater

Like father, like daughter.

With a white blaze going down to her nose, the new bay filly looks a lot like her dad. If you don't remember, Justify is the 13th and most recent winner of the Triple Crown. He's only the second horse to win the trifecta of horse races with an undefeated record. There was a moment of controversy when the racehorse failed a drug test after winning the Santa Anita Derby, but the case was eventually dismissed. Justify was retired only weeks after his big win due to an ankle injury and was named the 2018 American Horse of the Year.

As his first foal, the Audley Farm filly is already a celebrity. She's currently at Amaroo Farm in Kentucky where her mother was being boarded, but she'll eventually move to her new home at Audley Farm in Virginia. It's the same farm where Sir Barton, America's first Triple Crown winner in 1919, lived out his retirement.

https://www.facebook.com/audleyfarm/photos/pcb.2617734118470994/2617734081804331/?type=3&theater

This filly is Justify's first, but it won't be his last. The Jockey Club reports the stallion bred 252 mares in 2019. Only one other horse, Mendelssohn, has matched that number. His 2020 stud fee is reported to be $150,000, and it seems like he's thoroughly enjoying his retirement.