Saratoga County Chamber Launches #JUSTDEFY campaign to invite 13th Triple Crown winner, Justify, to Saratoga
 
Saratoga Springs, NY - Hundreds of local residents and business people gathered today on the back patio, at Gaffney's Restaurant, on Caroline Street, in Saratoga Springs, New York, for a campaign style rally to invite the 2018 Triple Crown winner, Justify, to Saratoga.
 
Justify's trainer, Bob Baffert, announced earlier this week that the Triple Crown winner has a filling in his left front ankle and that he will undergo further evaluation. In light of this news, attendees at the rally were invited to sign a giant "Get Well Soon" card and posters created by area children were held that read "We Love Justify" and "Feel Better." The crowd chanted "Get Well Soon" with attendees encouraged by Chamber President Todd Shimkus to shout even louder so these words of compassion could be heard in California.
 
"Our city's motto is Health. History. Horses. In that order. Justify's health absolutely comes first. As horse lovers, fans, lovers of Saratoga we always, always put the horse's health first. There is no other priority. Plain and simple. And we have complete confidence  Bob Baffert and the Justify team will do what is best for the horse. But if he is healthy, we want this great champion to make history in front of the most passionate horse racing fans in the world. That's why we're here tonight. We want him to Just Defy the odds, make the journey, and become a legend-right here in Saratoga."
 
The campaign theme adopted by the Chamber and announced at the rally is #JUSTDEFY. The campaign includes a website at www.justifytotravers.com. The website states: "Only 1 Triple Crown winner has ever won the Travers. Clearly the odds are stacked against these giants of racing. Should that deter Justify from trying? Absolutely not. To make history, he has to #JUSTDEFY."
 
Attendees at the rally saw a video and were provided with #JUSTDEFY t-shirts. They were encouraged to share posts on social media using the hashtag #JUSTDEFY inviting people to watch the video and to purchase t-shirts at Impression of Saratoga, a local retail store on the City's vibrant main street, Broadway. 
 
The website includes an online petition. A note from Chamber President Todd Shimkus inviting people to JUST SIGN this petition states: 
 
"Sometimes, we have to take an active role in making history. If Justify wins the Travers, it'll be an all-time great achievement-for him, his trainers, his owners, and for horse racing as a sport. By signing the petition, you're letting the powers that be know exactly how meaningful it would be to watch a Quadruple Crown. #JUSTDEFY"
 
The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce conducted a similar campaign to invite American Pharoah to race at the Travers, in 2015. That campaign was called #pharoahtoga. When American Pharoah took a training walk around the Saratoga Race Course on the Friday before the Travers, more than 15,000 people turned out at 7:30 a.m. just to see the 12th winner of the Triple Crown. A day later, American Pharoah lost in the Travers to Keen Ice.
 
Known as the "Midsummer Derby", the Travers Stakes has been run at Saratoga since 1864. The race has always been named after William R. Travers, president of the Saratoga Racing Association when the race was founded. The Travers is for 3-year-olds and contested every August at Saratoga Race Course. The Travers has been run at a distance of 1 ¼ miles since 1904.  It has been a Grade I affair since 1973, as long as stakes have been graded in North America.
 
Special thanks to our community partner in this campaign led by the creative professionals at Fingerpaint Marketing