Just F Y I Another Impressive G1 Winner for Justify

Justify juveniles continued to shine on Saturday when Just F Y I (2f Justify x Star Act, by Street Cry) became the stallion’s second Grade I-winning 2-year-old of the month in the Grade I Frizette Stakes.

Making her second career start in the one-mile dirt race, the Bill Mott trainee raced outside the field in third, two lengths behind the leader early on before dropping farther back down the backstretch. That changed as they raced into the turn with both Just F Y I and another horse challenging the leader, though Just F Y I was moving the easiest.

She drew up on the outside while a third horse came up the rail with the same idea as the Justify daughter with the leader quickly giving in and leaving it up to those two. The other challenger gave way in midstretch to let Just F Y I romp home by 3 ¾ lengths on the sloppy track.

“[The track] was the big question and we didn't know. You don't know until you run them. We thought she was a nice filly and, in this day and age, I guess if you break your maiden impressively you're looking at going to a stakes race because there aren't many allowance races,” said trainer Bill Mott. [The Breeders’ Cup] would be the plan today. We'll wait and see how she comes back and go from there."

A homebred for George Krikorian, Just F Y I has won both her starts as one of three winners from three to race out of the stakes-placed Star Act.

Star Act is out of the dual Grade I winner Starrer, who has produced two stakes performers in addition to the dam of stakes winner and Grade I second Uncle Benny. Starrer is also a half-sister to the three-time grade I winner Stellar Jayne with one of their half-sisters producing Grade I winner Star Billing.

Star Act had another Justify filly this year on February 22.

Just F Y I is the fourth juvenile stakes winning filly for Justify in the past seven days with all four winning “Win In You’re In” berths in the Breeders’ Cup – three in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and Just F Y I in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on the dirt.

Justify’s four 2023 Grade I winners ties with Into Mischief as second best of all North American sires. Justify also leads all North American sires in every juvenile category with his seven stakes winners four better than the stallion occupying the number 2 spot.