Justify, Mendelssohn's first yearlings next up for Scat Daddy

Scat Daddy died in December 2015 at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky, with his star still very much on the rise at age 11. And thus, there was high demand for his remaining offspring, particularly his sons, as the search for his heir commenced.

With Scat Daddy’s first sons to stud having justified – pardon the pun – the hype, Triple Crown winner Justify will represent the late sire in this year’s class of first-crop yearling stallions.

At the time of his death, Scat Daddy was represented by four sons standing at stud worldwide, none of them with foals on the racetrack yet. He now has 10 sons with progeny of racing age, and another nine behind them with first yearlings this season. Of his 10 with runners, No Nay Never and Caravaggio have led the way for the international Coolmore group, which also stood Scat Daddy.

No Nay Never, a Group 2 winner at the renowned Royal Ascot meeting and a Group 1 winner in France as a 2-year-old, entered stud in 2015. He is already the sire of more than 30 stakes winners, led by multiple Group 1 winners Ten Sovereigns and Alcohol Free.

Caravaggio, twice a winner at Royal Ascot, is a breakout success on this year’s freshman sire list. His 17 individual winners through Aug. 28 include Irish Group 2 winner Agartha, French stakes winner Dizzy Bizu, and U.S. stakes winner Her World. Off strong demand for a handful of his first yearlings offered at Keeneland September last year, Caravaggio was moved from Coolmore’s Irish headquarters to its Kentucky hub, Ashford Stud, for 2021.

“We are expecting Caravaggio’s second crop to be in huge demand off the back of his early success at stud,” said Charlie O’Connor, Ashford’s director of sales. “Whilst most yearlings will be sold this year at the European sales, having been bred in Ireland, we are looking forward to his first crop of U.S.-bred foals next year.

“The support Caravaggio has received from American breeders in his first year back at Ashford has been incredible. Physically, they look like they will suit American racing and the American marketplace. The sky looks to be the limit for him.”

Riding this wave come Justify and noted classmate Mendelssohn, who illustrated the demand for Scat Daddy’s remaining offspring when he sold for a sale-topping $3 million to Coolmore at the 2016 Keeneland September yearling sale. Both entered stud in 2019 at Ashford, which continues to hold a major stake in Scat Daddy’s legacy after building his stud career.

“It is also a sireline that is synonymous with the success of Coolmore, going back through Johannesburg, Hennessy, and Storm Bird,” O’Connor said. “There aren’t many of Scat Daddy’s sons at stud, and we are very fortunate to stand the most accomplished five, with Justify, Mendelssohn, and now Caravaggio at Ashford, then Sioux Nation and top young sire No Nay Never in Ireland, who now stands alongside his son Ten Sovereigns, continuing this illustrious sireline.”

Justify’s final start came in his 2018 Triple Crown-securing performance in the Belmont Stakes, his sixth win from as many outings. He debuted for an advertised stud fee of $150,000. His nine first-crop weanlings sold last year averaged $421,738, while his eight yearlings sold thus far in 2021 have averaged $577,806.

The globe-trotting Mendelssohn, a half-brother to leading sire Into Mischief and champion Beholder, finished far behind Justify on a sloppy track in the 2018 Kentucky Derby, but did plenty to advertise himself otherwise.

The 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner proved himself versatile as a 3-year-old, as a stakes winner on a synthetic surface in Europe before shipping to Dubai to romp in the Group 2 U.A.E. Derby on dirt. He flirted with Grade 1 dirt success in the United States, finishing second in the Travers and third in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Mendelssohn, who debuted for $35,000, had 19 weanlings sell last year for an average of $95,737, and is averaging $126,335 from 23 yearlings this year.

While Justify only raced on dirt, the versatility Mendelssohn showed has been a hallmark of Scat Daddy’s offspring. It stands to reason that yearlings by his sons will continue to appeal to a wide variety of marketplaces.

“The amazing thing about Scat Daddy is that of the five sons of his that we stand, all are very different horses physically,” O’Connor said. “So we were not necessarily expecting to see uniformity across his sons’ progeny, but both the Justifys and the Mendelssohns are all very athletic, have good size and strength, they are good movers, and seem to have great attitudes.”

Justify and Mendelssohn are represented by 90 and 93 yearlings, respectively, from their first crops at the upcoming Keeneland September yearling sale. Caravaggio has just one filly from his second crop, conceived in Ireland, in the catalog, while No Nay Never has 11 representatives. Other sons of Scat Daddy with yearlings cataloged are Frac Daddy with four, Daddy Long Legs with three, and Tu Brutus with two.