Justify Filly Earns Maiden Stakes Victory in Wilton

Stakes placed last year as a juvenile, Miss Justify (3f Justify x Swiss Alps, by Majesticperfection) added a stakes victory to her resume on Friday at Saratoga with a win in the Wilton Stakes.

Coming into the race off a Churchill Downs victory, the Todd Pletcher trainee took up her place in midpack in the one-mile dirt affair soon after the break. The leader was eager to run and opened nearly five lengths on the field, but Miss Justify wasn’t in a hurry to catch her and stayed in her position just off the rail.

Jockey Flavien Prat started encouraging her to show more near the quarter pole, and she responded quickly. Closing in on the lead, she was in a battle with a furlong left to run and secured it inside the final furlong. The Justify daughter had a length on the runner-up at the line to register her third win in five career starts.

Trained by Todd Pletcher for Twin Oaks Bloodstock, IEE Racing, Joseph Bulger, and Will Campbell, the filly was bred by Killora Stud.

The filly is out of the winning mare Swiss Alps, who is a half-sister to stakes winner Holiday Soiree. That mare produced Grade I winner Vahva and the stakes placed Signal From Noise. Swiss Alps is also a half-sister to the stakes winning Marquee Prince and to the dam of the stakes placed Boreas.

Swiss Alps foaled an Epicenter colt this year.

The sire of 10 Northern Hemisphere foaled stakes winners this year – second best among all North American sires – the stallion leads all North American sires with 18 graded stakes horses and six Grade I winners.