Justify Juvenile Wins Second Stakes

HnR Nothhaft Horse Racing-homebred Living Magic (2f Justify x Living The Life, by Footstepinthesand) scored her second stakes victory on Friday with a win in the Listed Chelsey Flower Stakes.

Tackling 1 1/6 miles on the turf at the Belmont at the Big A meet, she closely tracked the leading Red Burgundy early on before dropping just over a length back down the backstretch. Jockey Ruben Silvera started coaxing her for her best as they raced toward the quarter pole and swung her wide going into the stretch.

She issued a challenge to Ozara in the final furlong and finally got the upper hand inside the final sixteenth to win by 1 ¼ lengths for trainer Phil Schoenthal.

“It was her first time at the distance, so I tried to rate and save for the end,” Silvera said. “She broke good, so I sat behind the [pace]. I waited for Dylan [Davis, aboard No. 5, Ozara] – he was the favorite in the race. She [Ozara] tried to fight, but she [Living Magic] came back again to win the fight.”

This is the third win in six starts for Living Magic, who also won the Listed My Dear Stakes and was second last out in the Presque Isle Debutante Stakes.

Living The Life is one of two winners out of 10-time winner Living The Life, whose wins include two Grade IIs and a Grade III win in addition to a Grade I-placing. This is also the family of Group I winner Awzaan and Nashwa and Grade II winners Kool Kompany and Ball Lightning.

It has been a huge October for Justify, who has sired eight stakes winners and nine stakes performers this month, led by Grade 1 winners Opera Singer, Just F Y I, and City of Troy. In all, those stakes winners have come in five different countries.