Tag: Justify

Saturday Insights: Gulfstream Maidens Headline Pre-Christmas Action

2nd-GP, $70K, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 12:39 p.m.

Returning to the track for his second start after being disqualified from second at Monmouth Aug. 6, WONDERFINN (Justify) enters off back-to-back bullet works Nov. 13 (four furlongs in :48 1/5 {1/14}) and Nov. 20 (three furlongs in :36 2/5 {1/11}). The 2-year-old is out of a full-sister to trio of prolific Galileo siblings led by G1 Tattersalls Irish Two Thousand Guineas winner Magician (Ire) along with GSW Apple Betty (Ire) and SW/GISP Outstanding (Ire), herself the dam of MGSW Masteroffoxhounds (War Front).

Making his debut, My G (Medaglia d'Oro) brought $400,000 from Spendthrift as a yearling at the Saratoga Select sale last year. Dam Perfect Note, herself a $800,000 FTKNOV broodmare buy, is out of MGISW Music Note (A.P. Indy), making her a half-sister to G1 Emirates Airline Dubai World Cup hero Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper). This is also the family of French G1SW Musical Chimies (In Excess {Ire}). The Todd Pletcher trainee fired a bullet of his own Dec. 16, going five furlongs in 1:00 2/5 (1/8). TJCIS PPS

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Equinox Earns HOTY Honours at Inaugural Timeform Awards

Japan's Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) has been named Horse Of The Year by Timeform–besting G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Ace Impact (Ire) (Cracksman {GB}) and GI Breeders' Cup Turf winner Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn})–in the inaugural Timeform Awards, it was announced Wednesday. Trained by Tetsuya Kimura, the colt earned a 136 rating in his career finale in the G1 Japan Cup.

Equinox, who also stood atop of the Leading Male 3yo/up category, also garnered the Champion Of The Rest Of The World award, ahead of Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro), who equalled his highest ever rating (129) with a score in this month's G1 Hong Kong Mile, and GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Cody's Wish (Curlin) (129), who finished as joint runners up.

Leading the fray in other divisions:

  • G1 Dewhurst S. victor City Of Troy (Justify) earned a 125 rating thus securing the Leading 2YO award.
  • Ace Impact (133) was crowned Champion Of Europe ahead of Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}) (131) and Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) (130)
  • Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) (126) led her John and Thady Gosden-trained stablemate Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) (125) in the Female 3yo+ Category

Timeform's Leading First-season Sire of 2023–based on an average Timeform master rating of a sire's top 10 progeny in Britain and Ireland–was Too Darn Hot (GB) Dubawi {Ire}) (99), who claimed top honours ahead of Blue Point (Ire) Shamardal) (96) in second place, while Calyx (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and Ten Sovereigns (Ire) (No Nay Never) tied for third place (93).

The race of 2023 was determined based on an average Timeform master rating of the first three horses. Longchamp's Arc came out on top with the first three finishers–Ace Impact, Westover and Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB})–earning the race an average rating of 130, 1 lb higher than Kyoto's G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) and the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic, which finished joint-second.

For the complete results of the Timeform Awards, click here.

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MGISW Caravel Retired, Date With Justify Scheduled

GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint heroine Caravel (Mizzen Mast) was retired to Kentucky's Hunter Valley Farm by the ownership group of Qatar Racing, Madaket Stables and Marc Detampel, and will be bred for the 2024 season to Justify, as first reported on the Lancaster Farming website by Mid-Atlantic Horse correspondent Sam Cavalieri.

Bred by Elizabeth Merryman and raised on her farm in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, Caravel is heading to the breeding shed after she RNA'd for $2.4 million at the Keeneland November Sale.

“The ownership group has very much kept me in the loop and it's been a lot of fun enjoying her successes,” said Merryman, speaking to Cavalieri. “I'm so glad that she's at Hunter Valley because I know the way she has wintered there the last few winters. She's loved it there.”

Caravel earned nearly $2 million as a 15-time winner, which included her longshot performance in the 2022 Breeders' Cup at Keeneland. The ownership group decided to race her as a 6-year-old this year, and she rewarded them with three more stakes wins, including another Grade I victory against the boys at Belmont Park in the Jaipur S.

“Caravel always has been a little bit of a freak of nature,” Merryman told Cavalieri. “She's incredible. She puts so much into her racing but from day one she had so much personality and talent. She's a once in a lifetime horse.”

Her dam Zeezee Zoomzoom (Congrats) was also set to be sold at the same Keeneland November, but Merryman couldn't part with her life-changing mare.

“It might not be the best business plan, but it was the right move for me,” Merryman told the publication. “The mare owes me nothing and she is really, really happy where she is. I didn't want to put her through the stress of shipping somewhere new. I was worried she might not take it that well and it might be really hard on her. I promised her a good life and didn't want to go back on it.”

The 11-year-old is currently in foal to Justify and has also produced the MSW Witty (Great Notion), who is bred, owned and trained by Merryman.

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Justify’s Valentine Candy Dominates Oaklawn’s Advent

Valentine Candy (Justify) put a sweet punctuation to his year with a dominant display in the Advent S. on Oaklawn's opening day.

Victorious against a well-met field of Saratoga maidens in July, the chestnut tired badly in the GI Hopeful S. after a round of bumper cars soon after the break took him off the pace. He resurfaced at Keeneland in October with two starts–a second against first-level optional claimers on the seventh and then running third Oct. 28 in the Bowman Mill S.

Sent away at 9-5 in good order and able to be part of the pace pressure on the frontrunner, he swung into the backstretch four wide and was three off the rail heading for the homeward stretch. Given his cue with Roman Vazquez sitting pretty, Valentine Candy shut down all challenges right there, kicking home 6 3/4 lengths best over 67-1 shocker Willy D's (Lookin At Lucky) and late-running Andy's Candy (Practical Joke). It was Steve Asmussen's record-extending 105th career Oaklawn stakes victory.

 

“I'm just very, if anything, relieved to see him run back to his first race,” Steve Asmussen said. “The field that he beat at Saratoga first time out–showed great quality that day. Beautiful horse; great opportunity. That's who he's supposed to be.”

Added Ramon Vazquez: “Steve didn't give me any instructions. [Valentine Candy]'s a nice horse. I just had to guide him.”

The most recent to the races for Taste Like Candy, who went runner-up in the GI Hollywood Starlet S. in her season on the track, Valentine Candy has only one other sibling of racing age. The unplaced King Happy (Street Sense) was sent to Ireland in 2018 as a yearling and the broodmare had a run of poor breeding fortunes since then until she produced the winner and recently a 2023 colt by Mitole. She was bred to Liam's Map for 2024. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

ADVENT S., $150,000, Oaklawn, 12-8, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:04.65, ft.
1–VALENTINE CANDY, 117, c, 2, by Justify
         1st Dam: Taste Like Candy (GISP, $286,205), by Candy Ride (Arg)
         2nd Dam: My Success, by A.P. Indy
         3rd Dam: Towering Success, by Irish Tower
($250,000 Ylg '22 FTKOCT). 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-L. William & Corinne Heiligbrodt, Jackpot Farm, Whispering Oaks Farm LLC & Coteau Grove Farms LLC; B-Pine Creek LP (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Ramon A. Vazquez. $96,038. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-1, $195,713.
2–Willy D's, 117, c, 2, Lookin At Lucky–Boston Mine, by Mineshaft. ($60,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Danny Brown, Charis Brenneman & Greg Compton; B-Beau Lane (KY); T-Greg Compton. $29,550.
3–Andy's Candy, 117, g, 2, Practical Joke–In Gold Blood, by My Golden Song. ($28,000 Ylg '22 TTAYRL; $84,000 2yo '23 TTAAPR). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-JD Thoroughbreds, LLC, Joey Keith Davis & Larry J. Romero; B-Samuel Sherman (KY); T-Chris A. Hartman. $14,775.
Margins: 6 3/4, HD, 1. Odds: 1.80, 67.30, 10.10.
Also Ran: Market Street, Molly's Town, General Shipman, Frost Free, Ceepeegee, Bye Bye Liam, Drewmania, Sweet Soddy J. Scratched: Spirit's Mischief.

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