Justify’s Champions Dream Wins G3 Nashua

Champions Dream (2c Justify x Dancinginherdreams, by Tapit) gave his Triple Crown winning sire a fourth graded stakes winner in the Grade III Nashua Stakes when leading home a Justify first and third.

Racing in the tightly packed field, Champions Dream raced in fourth close behind the leader in the one-mile dirt race. Racing wide throughout, he went even wider as he entered the stretch to dig deep and chase down the leaders. It took nearly the whole stretch but Champions Dream was able to get up in the shadow of the wire and win by three quarters of a length with Justify’s Prove Right (2c Justify x Joe’sgoldenholiday, by Harlan’s Holiday) in third.

A $425,000 OBS March 2-Year-Old purchase by racing owner Rosedown Racing Stables from Parrish Farms, the gray is conditioned by Danny Gargan and was bred by John Oxley.

“He’s only run three times,” Gargan said. “The second time he had a really bad trip, too. Today, he learned how to overcome it. Today is the first time he learned how to finish. First time out, he won pulled up and didn’t know how to finish. You don’t if they’re going to do it at that level and run home until they’re forced too. He figured it out.”

The colt will winter in Florida with Gargan saying he’ll likely point for a race down there.

Champions Dream is out of Grade II winner Dancinginherdreams, who is a half-sister to stakes winner Doubled and Grade III-placed Good Pick Nick. Doubled also produced stakes-placed Honorifique. Another of Dancinginherdream’s half-sisters produced Grade II winner and Grade I-placed Texas Wedge. This is also the family of Irish champion Due Diligence.

Justify’s five stakes winners, four graded stakes winners, and six graded stakes performers leads all North American freshmen sires. He is also the sire of 23 winners, second best in his class.