Sons of Scat Daddy reach milestones

Coolmore has invested heavily in carrying on the torch of its late classic sire Scat Daddy, who died suddenly in late 2015. Its efforts to keep the flame alive are paying off, as two of Scat Daddy’s sons, including Triple Crown winner Justify, achieved milestones on Sunday.

Coolmore stands five sons of Scat Daddy at its hubs around the world, plus two grandsons of the stallion, both by No Nay Never. Joining the fray with his first 2-year-olds on the track this season is Justify, whose son Tahoma rolled by two lengths at Santa Anita on Sunday. The colt was Justify’s first U.S. starter, and second starter overall. Earlier in the day, the filly Aspen Grove was fifth in a maiden race at the Curragh in Ireland.

Meanwhile, Scat Daddy’s grandson Maljoom won the Group 2 German 2000 Guineas at Cologne, giving his sire Caravaggio a European classic winner from his first crop.

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Justify and Caravaggio represent the versatility of Scat Daddy as a sire, as the two could not have been more different on the racetrack. Justify was an American classic winner who won at up to 1 1/2 miles on dirt; Caravaggio was a crack turf sprinter who was twice a winner at the Royal Ascot meeting.

“The amazing thing about Scat Daddy is that of the five sons of his that we stand, all are very different horses physically,” Coolmore America’s Robyn Murray said. “So we were not necessarily expecting to see uniformity across his sons’ progeny.”