Justify

Tanya Gunther was thrilled to watch the latest 'TDN Rising Star' Justique (Justify) trounce the competition in her breathtaking debut, but the horsewoman admitted that a few thoughts of what could have been flashed through her head as she remembered the promising filly's early days spent at Glennwood Farm. "I didn't really want to sell her," Gunther said with an acquiescing smile. "Most of our yearlings do go to the sale, but I was a bit sad when we let her go." Bred by Tanya's father John Gunther in partnership...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 8th-DMR, $80K, Msw, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 10:27 p.m.    A $475,000 KEESEP yearling purchase by the Three Amigos, AMERICAN REFUGEE (American Pharoah) will be the 13th foal to race out of the GSP mare Refugee (Unaccounted For). This makes him a half-brother to MGISW & $4.7 million earner Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday) and MGISW & 'TDN Rising Star' Executiveprivilege (First Samurai). This is also the family of champion 3-year-old filly & MGISW Davona Dale (Best Turn). Trained by Bob Baffert, who famously campaigned his sire...

Pan the camera away from Saratoga and Del Mar, where the glamorous juveniles debut one after another, and focus for a moment on two lower-profile tracks that hosted two eye-popping performances this weekend. On Saturday at Prairie Meadows, Tyler's Tribe, a 2-year-old Iowa-bred gelding by Sharp Azteca (Freud), won the 5 1/2-furlong Iowa Stallion Futurity by 12 1/2 lengths in 1:04:18 to remain undefeated in three starts. He earned a 90 Beyer Speed Figure--you read that correctly--for the easy score. It wasn't a fluke, either, because in his previous start...

In the same way which astronomical stars largely form in groups, so too did the 'TDN Rising Stars' this past Sunday. Not one, not two, but three leading ladies emerged from the nebulae of Del Mar and Saratoga, each with her own brand of brilliance. Chief among the splendor, and the last to show her shine, was Justique (Justify), whose brilliant turn of foot and effortless dismissal of rivals summoned forth comparisons to another glorious 'Rising Star' in her hayday--a John Shirreffs masterpiece, Hall of Famer Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire})....

Despite her $725,000 Keeneland September price tag, C R K Stable's Justique (Justify--Grazie Mille, by Bernardini) snuck a bit under the radar Sunday evening as Bob Baffert-trained Home Cooking (Honor Code) took virtually every dollar of tote support in a salty looking Del Mar maiden special weight. But there was no missing Justique in the stretch, as she inhaled her competition super impressively to become her freshman sire (by Scat Daddy)'s sixth individual winner and second 'TDN Rising Star'. Bidding to become the first debut winner for trainer John Shirreffs...

by Christie DeBernardis & Patrycja Szpyra Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 6th-SAR, $105K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 3:49 p.m. EDT GI Belmont S. winner Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) may be missing his appearance at the Spa this summer, but his little sister PRANK (Into Mischief) will be stepping up to the post for the first time Sunday. Out of a daughter of GISW Island Sand (Tabasco Cat), the $500,000 KEESEP buy also hails from the Todd Pletcher barn. Steve Asmussen unveils Courtlandt Farm's High Class (Into Mischief), purchased for...

Over 200 yearlings made the catalog for the 2022 Texas Summer Yearling Sale, presented by the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park. The sale will be held on Aug. 29 at the sales pavilion at Lone Star. The catalog lists yearlings by Kentucky stallions such as Justify, Good Magic, Sharp Azteca, Mendelssohn, Bernardini, Practical Joke, Goldencents, Kantharos, Mitole, Vino Rosso and more. Texas stallions such as Too Much Bling, Bradester, My Golden Song and Competitive Edge are also represented. The interactive catalog is available now at www.ttasales.com or on...

1st-SAR, $105k, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 1:05p.m. ET The WinStar and Siena Farm partnership sends out FAITHFUL AND TRUE (Good Magic), a $450,000 OBSMAR grad out of a half to Champion older mare Escena (Strawberry Road {Aus}), for his unveiling from the Rodolphe Brisset barn. Along with Bat Flip (Good Magic), a $350,000 FTSAUG yearling who is out of a half to MGISP Money Multiplier (Lookin at Lucky) and the dam of MGSP Threes Over Deuces (Flat Out), they make up two parts of the triplet debuting in the race for...

5th-Ellis, $60,000, Msw, 7-22, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:03.88, ft, 5 lengths. JUSTA WARRIOR (f, 2, Justify--A Z Warrior {GISW, $286,906}, by Bernardini) capped off her worktab with a strong half-mile from the gate in :48 1/5 July 12 and was off as the 5-2 second choice to open her account at first asking. Away in good order from a middle gate, the $150,000 Keeneland September yearling took up a pace-pressing role to the outside, eased to the front with a furlong and a half to race and--despite a few...

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...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Sunday's Observations features a daughter of Princess Highway (Street Cry {Ire}). 1.40 Curragh, Mdn, €20,000, 2yo, f, 7fT ETERNAL SILENCE (War Front) is a rare Moyglare Stud homebred to race for the Jessica Harrington stable, and a significant one as a daughter of the G2 Ribblesdale S. winner and...

Already off to a hot start with his first-crop runners that includes a Group 2 winner in Ireland, Triple Crown winner Justify wasted no time putting an American graded stakes win on the board as his daughter Just Cindy kicked clear late to take Thursday's opening-day GIII Schuylerville S. at Saratoga, the first graded event for juveniles run in North America in 2022. Unveiled as a poorly-kept secret at 6-5 going 5 1/2 furlongs June 17 at Churchill Downs, the Clarkland Farm homebred settled off the pace professionally and drew...