The breeding rights for Justify, who became the first horse since 1882 to win the Kentucky Derby without having competed as a 2-year-old and followed that feat by winning the Preakness Stakes, are to be sold to Coolmore Stud. The $60 million deal was said to have been negotiated before the Preakness, according to multiple people familiar with the deal who were not authorized to speak publicly because it had not yet been announced, and a bonus of about $25 million would also kick in if Justify pulled off a Triple Crown sweep by winning the Belmont Stakes on June 9. Elliott Walden, president and chief executive of WinStar Farm, which owns Justify’s breeding rights along with China Horse Club and SF (Soros Fund) Racing, said Thursday that a deal had not yet been finalized. (Head of Plains Partners and Starlight Racing had previously bought SF Racing’s racing interest in the horse, but SF had retained its share of the breeding rights.) “We have had numerous inquiries into the breeding rights of Justify, including from Coolmore,” Walden said in a statement, adding, “We are focused on the Belmont Stakes and his racing career.”

Source: New York Times May 24, 2018 22:15 UTC