John Gunther says 13 is his lucky number.
B次元官网网址淔riday the 13th was always my lucky day,B次元官网网址� the Langley horse breeder said.
He made the observation a few days after his horse, Justify, became the 13th Triple Crown Winner by racing to victory at the Belmont Stakes on June 9, following back-to-back wins at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.
Gunther said seeing the big chestnut colt take the win on June 9 at Belmont Park B次元官网网址� in Elmont, New York B次元官网网址� was an intensely emotional experience.
His heart started pounding, he recalls, so much that for a few minutes he wondered whether he was having a stroke.
B次元官网网址淓verybody was in tears,B次元官网网址� he said.
Justify is only the second horse to win the Triple Crown with an undefeated record, following Seattle Slew.
The champion was bred at Glennwood Farm in Kentucky, which is owned by Gunther and run by his daughter, Tanya.
Justify was sold at the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sales for $500,000 to a partnership of investors led by WinStar Farm.
An online Wikipedia entry describes Justify as a large horse, standing 16.3 hands (67 inches or 170 cm) at the withers and weighing 1,380 pounds (630 kg).
The Gunthers are the first Canadian breeders to record a Triple Crown win, and they canB次元官网网址檛 quite agree on who should get the most credit.
The proud father praised his daughterB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渁nalytical mind,B次元官网网址� adding B次元官网网址渟he probably has a better eye for a horse than I do.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 always telling him not to do that (give me most of the credit),B次元官网网址� Tanya Gunther said.
B次元官网网址淚t was a team effort.B次元官网网址�
She said seeing Justify become a Triple Crown winner was B次元官网网址渟urreal.B次元官网网址�
Tanya Gunther grew up in what she called a B次元官网网址渉orsey familyB次元官网网址� on the Gunther farm in South Langley.
She started with ponies, then graduated to hunter-jumper competitions and eventually rode in Madison Square Garden.
Then she became an investment banker, but eventually gave it up to return to her first interest, horses.
B次元官网网址淚 followed my passion,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 nothing more rewarding.B次元官网网址�
Both father and daughter said the win still hasnB次元官网网址檛 completely sunk in.
And they will have little time to savour the victory before their next challenge.
John Gunther said he has a three-year-old colt named B次元官网网址淲ithout ParoleB次元官网网址� that has gone undefeated so far and will be running in the St JamesB次元官网网址檚 Palace Stakes at the Royal Ascot race course in Great Britain.
The St. JamesB次元官网网址檚 Palace Stakes is named after St. JamesB次元官网网址檚 Palace, a royal residence during the Tudor period.
With his daughter, Gunther has been to the exquisitely formal event before, always in a rented top hat and tails.
This year, in a possible indication of confidence, he bought his own outfit.
