Auguste Rodin Set To Canter After Racing At The Curragh On Saturday

Group 1 winner Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), favoured for both the G1 2000 Guineas and G1 Derby, is likely to step out for a racecourse gallop after racing at the Curragh on Saturday.

The 'TDN Rising Star', a winner of three of his four starts including the G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy S., the bay could be joined by 'Rising Star' and G1 Phoenix S. victor Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never).

“Little Big Bear and Auguste Rodin are good, everything has been good so far anyhow,” said O'Brien. “We're not sure if either will run in a trial, they are going to go to the Curragh on Saturday maybe for a canter around, and we'll see about them after that.”

The Coolmore partners also have several fillies that could be heard from on the Classic trail, and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) and 'Rising Star' and G2 Airlie Stud S. victress Statuette (Justify) are also possible for the racecourse gallop.

Added O'Brien, “It's probably the same for the fillies, Meditate and Statuette.”

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Potential Royal Runner in Guineas on Coronation Day

The royal colours, which will now be carried by horses under the joint ownership of His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen Consort, could be seen in Classic action on the day of the King's Coronation.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained Slipofthepen (GB), a son of Night Of Thunder (Ire) who was bred by the late Queen, has been given an entry for the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas. Out of the 95-rated Free Verse (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), the colt is a fifth-generation homebred and won his sole start with ease at Kempton in November and also holds an entry for the Derby.

Furthering her links to the turf, The Queen Consort is due to visit the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket on Mar. 9.

The first two British Classics of the season, the QIPCO-sponsored 2000 and 1000 Guineas on May 6 and 7, have attracted 62 and 64 entries, respectively.

The quintet of Group/Grade 1 winners Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), Al Riffa (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Chaldean (GB), Little Big Bear (Ire) and Victoria Road (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) heads a strong cast for the colts' Classic. Little Big Bear, a son of No Nay Never, was beaten only once in a five-start juvenile campaign culmination in his victory in the G1 Keeenland Phoenix S., and he is currently holding favouritism to give his trainer Aidan O'Brien a potential 11th victory in the race. Of the British-trained entries, Chaldean is currently third favourite to emulate his sire Frankel (GB) by winning the 2000 Guineas.

Those with an interest in sporting art will be pleased to see an entry for the equine Alfred Munnings (Ire), a Dubawi (Ire) half-brother to the Oaks winner Snowfall (Jpn). The great painter Munnings was himself a regular visitor to Newmarket Heath and spent much time down at the start observing and sketching horses as they were called in to line up. The old rubbing house he used as a makeshift studio is still in existence on the gallops behind the Rowley Mile.

The retirement of the G1 Fillies' Mile winner Commissioning (GB) (Kingman {GB}) means that there is one notable omission from the entries for the 1000 Guineas, with the betting market currently co-headed by Coolmore's Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) and the Aga Khan's Tahiyra (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}). Another from the O'Brien stable, Statuette, is third in the list to give her young sire Justify a first Classic winner.

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Taking Stock: Justify Moving Early

Coolmore America's Triple Crown winner Justify, a son of Scat Daddy, never raced at two, and he famously became the first unraced 2-year-old since Apollo in 1882 to win the Gl Kentucky Derby.

Midway through July, however, Justify is already represented by a Group 2 winner in Europe and a Grade III winner in North America from his first crop of 2-year-olds, and through Monday he sat second by less than $30,000 on the first-crop sire list by progeny earnings behind Spendthrift's Bolt d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro), a rival he defeated by three lengths in the Gl Santa Anita Derby. So far, he leads all freshman sires by black-type winners, black-type horses (three), and graded winners–a quick start at stud for a physically massive and late-starting horse who got 12 furlongs with ease in an undefeated, but compressed six-start career that lasted a brief four months, from February to June at age three.

Despite size, a late track debut and the ability to run as far as 3-year-olds are asked to go on dirt in North American Grade l races, Justify had exceptional balance and speed, his trainer Bob Baffert said by phone Monday morning between a training break. “He was a big, powerful horse–he looked like a giant Quarter Horse is what he looked like. A big, beautiful, massive, balanced horse. As big as he was, he was so light on his feet. He didn't hit the ground hard at all. He just floated over this track.”

Baffert said he didn't get Justify until after the Breeders' Cup, which is why the big chestnut didn't race at two. He'd been purchased for $500,000 at Keeneland September by WinStar, China Horse Club and SF Bloodstock. According to a report in New York Times, the colt had surgery on a stifle before he was sent to Baffert. “When I got him, he was a sound horse,” Baffert said. “My assistant Mike Marlow, who had him at Los Alamitos, kept telling me he had a really good one down there named Justify, by Scat Daddy.”

In comparing Justify to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) and champion Arrogate (Unbridled's Song), three of his best, Baffert said: “Pharoah's mechanics were extraordinary, the way he would move and the way he would work. Let's say Pharoah maybe had more speed, you know, quicker, but the thing about Pharoah and Justify, on Breeders' Cup, they could have won the Sprint, the Mile and the Classic. That's how good they were. Arrogate, he could have won only the Breeders' Cup Classic. That's the kind of horses they were. And Arrogate going a mile and a quarter, he was a beast of a horse. But Pharoah and Justify, they did things effortlessly.”

Bred by John D. Gunther, Justify is out of Stage Magic, a daughter of champion Ghostzapper–another brilliantly fast racehorse who could have won the Gl BC Sprint and Gl BC Dirt Mile in addition to the Gl BC Classic that he did win, keeping to Baffert's analogy. As it was, Ghostzapper won the Gl Vosburgh at 6 1/2 furlongs and the Gl Metropolitan H at a mile.

Ghostzapper, however, wasn't precocious, making only two starts at two, in November and December at that. Neither was Stage Magic, who won her first race at three, in September.

In contrast, Justify's male line–the sequence Scat Daddy/Johannesburg/Hennessy/Storm Cat/Storm Bid–is noted for early maturity and speed, with each horse named a Grade l/Group 1 winner at two. Each horse in this line except for Storm Cat also stood at Ashford (Coolmore America), and Coolmore has collected some of Scat Daddy's best sons because of its belief in the sire line. In addition to Justify, Coolmore stands Mendelssohn, who recently had his first winners, and Caravaggio, whose oldest foals are three, at Ashford, and it has No Nay Never, who stood for €125,000 this spring, and Sioux Nation, with first-crop juveniles, in Ireland. All five were winners at the highest level. Additionally, Coolmore also stands Group l winner Ten Sovereigns (Ire) (No Nay Never) and Group 2 winner Arizona (Ire) (No Nay Never) in Ireland.

From this group, No Nay Never, a champion first-season sire like Scat Daddy, and Caravaggio, who had 26 winners from his first crop of juveniles last year, have already emerged as sires of early maturing speed horses, and just last week each was represented by a Group l winner: Alcohol Free (Ire), first in the Darley July Cup S., for the former; and Tenebrism, winner of the Prix Jean Prat, for the latter. Meanwhile, Sioux Nation has 17 first-crop 2-year-old winners so far. Throw Justify's two group/graded winners into the mix and this is quite a collective showing for Coolmore's young sons of Scat Daddy, who died prematurely at age 11 in 2015, but not before getting some talented sons who appear to have the ability to carry his name forward in tail-male.

Justify's Group/Graded Winners

Both Coolmore and Baffert have played a part in Justify's early success. The filly Statuette, who won the G2 Airlie Stud S. at the Curragh June 26, is a homebred for the Coolmore partners and Merriebelle Stable. Her dam, Immortal Verse (Ire), by Pivotal (GB), was a multiple Group 1-winning miler who once defeated Goldikova (Ire), and she made headlines when selling for the equivalent of $8 million at Tattersalls December in 2013. Before Statuette, she produced the previously mentioned Tenebrism, who's trained like Statuette by Aidan O'Brien for the same ownership and was also a Group 1 winner at two last year.

If not for a matter of a day, Baffert would be the breeder of Just Cindy, winner of the Glll Schuylerville at Saratoga last Thursday for owner/breeder Fred Mitchell's Clarkland Farm and trainer Eddie Kenneally.

Baffert purchased the filly's dam, Jenda's Agenda, a stakes winner of $173,475 by Proud Citizen, for $90,000 at Keeneland November in 2018 to use for one of his breeding rights.

“I'm always looking for mares to breed because I have those stallions,” Baffert said. “I had Donato [Lanni] look at her. He said she was on the small side, but she looks good. I saw a picture of her. She was a good race mare that was all speed going a mile, so I bought her.”

Baffert had her covered by Justify in early 2019 and shipped her to California, where he wanted to foal her in the state-bred program.

“Come December, I thought, 'You know what, what am I doing?' I put her in Keeneland January and sent her to Kentucky and figured she has to bring $300,000. She just didn't get any action,” Baffert said.

The mare was a $325,000 RNA for consignor John Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale.

“Then, Boyd Browning of Fasig-Tipton says, 'I can sell that mare for you.'”

Baffert entered the mare in the Fasig-Tipton February sale Feb. 10-11 that year.

“Then, Johnny Sikura calls me up and says, 'Bob, I can't take the mare over there. She's all bagged up, waxed up and she's gonna drop. You don't want her to foal in the sale ring. You're gonna have to take her out [of the sale].' I said, 'Alright, I'll take her out.' Then, on the second day of the sale, I get a call from Fred Mitchell. He goes to John's barn and says, 'Where's that mare?' I told him I took her out of the sale because she's probably going to foal tomorrow. He asked me what I wanted for her, and I told him, and he said okay,” said Baffert. “I bought the mare sight unseen and Fred brought the mare sight unseen, and we did the deal on a handshake, very rare these days. Fred Mitchell knows good horses and he raises them right.”

The mare foaled Just Cindy Feb. 12, and she became her sire's first graded winner in North America and his first on dirt, with Mitchell's Clarkland the official breeder of record.

That's quite the story.

   Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks.

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Justify’s Statuette Goes Two-For-Two After Curragh Triumph

Kept at home as Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) went to Royal Ascot, TDN Rising Star Statuette (Justify–Immortal Verse {Ire}, by Pivotal {GB}) was able to comfortably follow her stablemate's lead by taking Sunday's G2 Airlie Stud S. at The Curragh. Already the focus of attention on breeding, the chestnut put fuel on the fire with a fluent win on debut over an extended five furlongs at Navan May 28 and travelled easily throughout the early stages of this six-furlong contest formerly known as the Balanchine. Asked to take closer order to the leading trio before halfway, the 4-6 favourite had to work to get to Badb (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) inside the last 150 yards but was soon in command en route to a 3/4-of-a-length success from that 25-1 outsider, with Matilda Picotte (Ire) (Sioux Nation) the same margin back in third. “She has a beautiful mind, great stride and an unbelievable physique,” Aidan O'Brien said after welcoming his eighth winner of this prize. “We think the Justifys are something to look forward to.” . Race replay. 

Statuette, whose half-sister Tenebrism (Caravaggio) was the winner of the G1 Cheveley Park S. on her second start, is being prepared for the major late-summer and autumn prizes according to her trainer. “She's a very big filly, she's 16 2 1/2, and we were only training her three-quarters ready because we had our eye on the last part of the season,” he explained. “With that type of filly if you train them too hard you wouldn't have them at the end of the season when you want them. We were a little bit worried when the ground got soft that she could have gotten very tired, but obviously just her class got her through. She travelled lovely and Ryan nursed her, she won lovely in the end.”

“She's a sister to Tenebrism, but she'd carry her on her back as she's a massive big powerful filly this one,” he added. “She's probably not as precocious as a filly running at this time of year tends to be, but she has so much class she was able to run and do it rather than us making her do it. When she was able to do it we didn't like stopping her, but at the same time we weren't chasing her in any way at home. We think she's a Guineas filly. She's a filly with a lot of class and you'd imagine she'd have no problem getting a mile. The Moyglare, the Cheveley Park, all those races are there for her. Obviously we have the filly that won at Ascot [Meditate] as well. The lads will probably keep them apart.”

The dam Immortal Verse, who captured the G1 Coronation S. and G1 Prix Jacques le Marois and was bred back to Justify last year, topped the 2013 Tattersalls December Mares Sale when knocked down for 4.7million gns. She is a daughter of the Listed Prix La Camargo winner and G3 Prix Fille de l'Air runner-up Side of Paradise (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), who is also the second dam of the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. runner-up Roseman (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) and the G1 Futurity Trophy-placed Baradar (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}).

Side of Paradise is out of Richard Strauss's Kilfrush Stud's exceptional broodmare Mill Princess (Ire) (Mill Reef), who issued an abundance of leading lights directly and indirectly headed by the star sprinter Last Tycoon (Ire). Among her most notable producers were Last Tycoon's G3 Prix du Bois-winning full-sister The Perfect Life (Ire), Save Me the Waltz (Ire) (Kings Lake) and Zelda (Ire) (Caerleon). Under this trio are the likes of the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Valentine Waltz (Ire) (Be My Guest), the GI Matron S. winner Sense of Style (Thunder Gulch) and Galileo's trio of top-level-winning siblings Hermosa (Ire), Hydrangea (Ire) and The United States (Ire).

Sunday, Curragh, Ireland
AIRLIE STUD S. (BALANCHINE S.)-G2, €142,800, Curragh, 6-26, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:13.64, yl.
1–STATUETTE, 128, f, 2, by Justify
     1st Dam: Immortal Verse (Ire) (Hwt. Filly-Eng- at 7 – 9 1/2 f., G1SW-Eng, G1SW-Fr, $1,053,873), by Pivotal (GB)
     2nd Dam: Side of Paradise (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
     3rd Dam: Mill Princess (Ire), by Mill Reef
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Coolmore,Westerberg,Merriebelle Stables; B-Merriebelle Stables & Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €72,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $86,135. *1/2 to Tenebrism (Caravaggio), Ch. 2yo Filly-Ire, Eng & Eur, G1SW-Eng, $262,880. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Badb (Ire), 128, f, 2, Footstepsinthesand (GB)–Belong (Ire), by Fastnet Rock (Aus).
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-Mrs Ann Marie O'Brien (IRE); T-Donnacha O'Brien. €24,000.
3–Matilda Picotte (Ire), 128, f, 2, Sioux Nation–Hallie's Comet (Ire), by One Cool Cat.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-Matilda & Kilmichael Racing Partnership; B-Mighty Universe Ltd (IRE); T-Kieran Cotter. €12,000.
Margins: 3/4, 3/4, HF. Odds: 0.67, 25.00, 18.00.
Also Ran: Zarinsk (GB), It's Showtime Baby (GB), Papilio (Ire), Comhra (Ire). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

. Race replay. 

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