Triple Threat

Award-winning architect, entrepreneur and horse breeder, Teo Ah Khing, is celebrating China Horse Club’s recent win in the US Triple Crown with Justify, a horse few would have acquired, let alone raced. In an exclusive interview, Teo talks to Mindy Teh about the incredible journey of both stallion and owner, and how this journey may lead home to Malaysia.

I In the world of horse racing, nothing is more distinguished – or elusive – than the US Triple Crown. Considered among the most accomplished honours in thoroughbred racing, it is awarded to a three-year-old horse that wins three successive races: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes – three stand-alone feature events run in three different states, at three different distances in only five weeks! Only 13 horses have ever been Triple Crown winners over the course of 143 years.

Lucky number 13 is an exceptional thoroughbred called Justify, a strapping chestnut known for his physicality, durability and virtuosity during an historic 111-day career. However, the qualities of the stallion were not immediately noticeable to the sport’s acclaimed judges. While his imposing frame hinted at what he may one day become, he was assessed as structurally frail with most reviewing x-rays of him as a yearling and failing him as a viable racing prospect. CHC and partners were in a distinct minority when determining that the colt was a ‘must-have’ asset under any circumstances. While Justify was slow to make his debut, his rise to fame has the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster.

Emerging from obscurity on 18 February 2018, Justify raced through six successive races, four G1s back-to-back, in less than four months to redefine modern thinking on the durability of the thoroughbred. In the process, Justify became the Triple Crown’s second winner in the past 39 years and only the second undefeated US Triple Crown winner in the sport’s storied history. On the strength of Justify’s Kentucky Derby win this year alone, the Longines IFHA World’s Best Horse Rankings named Justify the world’s best three-year-old horse and the world’s best active dirt horse – titles he held until his retirement this year.