DAVE JOHNSON, Iconic announcer and co-host of the Down the Stretch show on Sirius XM radio
There is no question about it: Justify is Horse of the Year. The idea that this 3-year-old won the Triple Crown, which is one of the toughest things in all of sports to do, is a magnificent accomplishment and that should be the defining moment when it comes to the Horse of the Year debate. Yes, Accelerate was terrific over a a period of time. But with the competition in the Triple Crown, the way he won it, Baffert's training, Mike Smith's riding, there's no question in my mind that Justify deserves to be Horse of the Year.
It was an unbelievable accomplishment for Justify to pull off what he did and it stands out much more to me than what Accelerate did. You think of Enable winning two of the biggest races in the world, to me, that puts her on equal footing with Accelerate.
Johnson is an Eclipse Award voter.
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