Mike Smith’s triple crown run with Justify was the right pairing with Baffert at the right time

Jockey Mike Smith and trainer Bob Baffert, having taken Justify to horse racing royalty as a Triple Crown winner earlier this year, obviously have a great working relationship.
But it did not get off to the best of starts.
In the winter of 2002, Baffert, on his way to establishing himself as a superstar in the sport, was training a promising 2-year-old named Vindication. Baffert hired Smith to ride him, making Vindication the first horse they had as a team.
Vindication won the 2002 Breeders&rsqu