Justify arrives at Ashford Stud

Triple Crown winner Justify arrived Monday morning at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky., where he will begin stud duties in 2019.

WinStar Farm, which co-owns the undefeated Scat Daddy colt, confirmed last week that it was finalizing the long-anticipated deal with international outfit Coolmore to stand Justify. The deal is a major coup for Coolmore – not only did the operation stand Justify’s sire prior to his unexpected death in 2015, it now will stand both Triple Crown winners of the 21st century. Justify joins 2015 drought-buster American Pharoah, whose first foals are yearlings.

“To come here to the same farm where American Pharoah stands, it’s a huge honor for us,” Coolmore’s Adrian Wallace said. “It’s a huge responsibility to this industry, and one that we don’t take lightly.”

Justify, whose retirement from racing was announced in July, was campaigned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners, and Starlight Racing. Starlight had purchased racing rights to the colt from SF Bloodstock, which maintained breeding rights.

“We believe strongly in Justify as a stallion, and the ownership group has retained breeding rights,” WinStar executive Elliott Walden said in a release. “We look forward to supporting him at Ashford Stud.”

Justify, who was trained by Bob Baffert, won all six of his starts in a period spanning 111 days, concluding with the Belmont Stakes on June 9, when he became the 13th American Triple Crown winner. The colt was taken out of training with filling in an ankle in July, and was officially retired later that month, as the window of time to get him back in training in time for a prep race prior to his scheduled career finale in the Breeders’ Cup Classic closed. He was shipped to WinStar in Versailles, Ky., in August to let down from the racetrack.

“He’s let down well,” Wallace said. “You can see that he’s put on a bit more weight since he’s retired from the racetrack. Over the next few weeks, we’ll just get to know him. He’ll spend some time out in his paddock. Some breeders will start coming to see him in the coming days and weeks.”

Among the breeders already getting a look are John and Tanya Gunther of Glennwood Farm, who bred, raised, and sold the colt. They were on hand to welcome him Monday at Ashford, along with Baffert. Tanya Gunther says Glennwood will send mares to Justify.

“I have a couple already in mind!” she said. “I’ve been thinking about that since he hit the track.”

Ashford’s stallions covered an average book size of 113 mares in 2017, according to The Jockey Club’s Report of Mares Bred (the 2018 figures have not yet been released). Wallace said that Justify’s book will include between 40 to 50 of Coolmore’s own mares, and that the farm expects him to be “supported by some of the best international breeders around.

“We haven’t got any firm commitments yet, but plenty of interest,” Wallace added.

Coolmore has yet to announce specifics of Justify’s stallion plans, such as his fee, which will likely be in the six figures, or if he will shuttle for the Southern Hemisphere season. American Pharoah entered stud for an advertised fee of $200,000 in 2016. It was later revealed that some breeders were sending approved mares to the stallion on a two-for-one deal as Coolmore sought to assemble a quality book for the stallion, not an uncommon practice to support a young stallion in a competitive market. American Pharoah’s fee was private for both 2017 and 2018.

Unlike American Pharoah, who competes against his own sire, WinStar’s Pioneerof the Nile, and grandsire, Gainesway’s Empire Maker, also at six-figure price points in the market, Justify has supply and demand economics in his favor. Scat Daddy died of a suspected cardiac event in December 2015 at the young age of 11 as his star was still on the rise. His stud fee had been slated to climb to $100,000 for 2016, placing him among North America’s elite sires, after he stood for $35,000 in what turned out to be his final season. Justify is also the most accomplished son of Scat Daddy to come to stud in North America. Scat Daddy’s only representative in Kentucky for 2018 was Tu Brutus, at Crestwood Farm, with a handful of other sons around the continent such as Daddy Nose Best (California), Finale (New Mexico), Handsome Mike (Florida), and Scatman (New York). The stallion also has Daddy Long Legs in Chile and El Kabeir in Ireland.

In Ireland, Coolmore stands Scat Daddy’s sons No Nay Never, who is a freshman sire, and Caravaggio, who entered stud this year. Both are Grade 1/Group 1 winners. No Nay Never is already the sire of 21 winners worldwide, including Group 2 winner Land Force, Group 3 winner Ten Sovereigns, and stakes winner Servalan in Europe and Mae Never No in the United States.

Coolmore owns Scat Daddy’s son Mendelssohn – a $3 million yearling purchase the fall following his sire’s death – but has yet to finalize where it might eventually stand him.

Should Justify later shuttle, his sireline has international appeal, as the versatile Scat Daddy was a leading sire in Chile and has prominent stakes performers worldwide. Last year, American Pharoah became the first American Triple Crown winner to stand in Australia, a fitting accomplishment for Coolmore. The outfit was an early pioneer in the practice of building dual-hemisphere careers for stallions, and the practice took off when its prolific sire Danehill shuttled from Ireland to Australia for the 1990 season. The concept took root with other major operations throughout that decade.

In keeping with Justify’s international appeal, Wallace said Coolmore will ship mares from Europe to Kentucky to be part of his first book.

“As M.V. Magnier was quoted as saying, Ballydoyle and our business model was founded on American Thoroughbreds, it was founded on American speed,” Wallace said. “So a horse like him, I really think that if we breed him to our good Galileo mares, and our good Montjeu mares, our Danehill mares, he’s got a lot of options for us.”