Blog

J is for Justify is now on the shelves of Joseph-Beth Booksellers‘ Lexington location. It was a blast to visit and sign some copies on October 4th. This store is an absolute paradise. There’s an entire lower level devoted to children’s books, and they even have Breyer horses. If you’re ever in the area, I […]

My first opportunity to ever attend a live horse race was in 1993. My dad and I went to Keeneland and witnessed Prairie Bayou and Mike Smith winning the Bluegrass Stakes together. It seems only fitting that the Keeneland Shop would become the first location to carry my first book, J is for Justify. The […]

Six months ago, I had the greatest time taking a tour of Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Versailles, Kentucky. Both living Triple Crown winners, Justify and American Pharoah, now call this incredibly beautiful farm home. My husband and I only took a million or two photos that day. I had hoped to share them right away, […]

Book Illustrations on Display at Local Brewery DAYTON, Ohio,  April 12, 2019 — Local artist Lesley Baumann’s horse illustrations from her upcoming book, J is for Justify, will be on display at Crooked Handle Brewing Company this May. A free opening reception will be held the evening before the Kentucky Derby from 5:00 p.m. to […]

Unraced at two, before the Derby he had little time to rehearse. Nonetheless he won the race and broke Apollo’s Curse. His victorious emergence from the Preakness fog was quite serene. Next he won the Belmont and Triple Crown thirteen. He had exploded onto the scene and defied expectation. He proved that you should dare […]

Happy birthday to Point Given! It was such a treat to meet this handsome guy at the Kentucky Horse Park last September. At that time, J is for Justify was still in the relatively early stages. The horses had been selected and some basic research had been done. I dug into the illustrations right away […]

As I sit here at Fair Grounds in New Orleans eagerly waiting for today’s Louisiana Derby, I’d like to acknowledge three of our J is for Justify horses who had relatives who won the big race. Secretariat’s son Risen Star won in 1988, Xtra Heat’s sire Dixieland Heat won in 1993, and Unbridled’s son Grindstone […]

Happy birthday to Easy Goer, the horse that started it all. He was there just as my love of horses was beginning to run wild. It was the spring of 1989. I had just started taking riding lessons regularly. Sixth grade was nearing an end. Bon Jovi was my favorite band on the radio. And, […]