Justify’s Storm Boy Stays Undefeated in Australia

Storm Boy (2c Justify x Pelican, by Fastnet Rock) was again the talk of Australia on Saturday when he won the Group II Skyline Stakes as he works his way toward the Grade I Golden Slipper.

Making his first start since winning the Magic Millions 2-Year-Old Classic in January, Storm Boy was ready to run in the six-furlong turf race and easily took over the lead from the gate. He controlled the pace throughout the run and flashed across the line 1 ½ lengths in front to lead home a 1-2 finish for trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.

Running for a partnership group that includes the Coolmore partners, Storm Boy is undefeated in four starts and connections are also eying the Group I ATC Sires Produce Stakes and Group I ATC Champagne Stakes after the Golden Slipper.

“He’s a lovely style of horse with plenty of gears and has a great high cruising speed. He looked in full control from the outset and then he can find more levels and keep quickening off that,” Bott said. “This will tighten him up nicely for the Golden Slipper, but we’ve got big targets after that with the Triple Crown and I’d like to think he’s only going to be better suited getting out to 1400m and a mile, so it’s very exciting for everyone involved.”

Storm Boy was an AU$460,000 Magic Millions purchase by his trainers and Kestrel Thoroughbreds from the Coolmore consignment last year and was bred by Rob and Barb McClure of Morning Rise Stud and Coolmore.

A juvenile winner herself, his dam Pelican is out of New Zealand Horse of the Year Seachange.

Storm Boy is the first foal for Pelican, whose Pierro colt sold for $375,000 at this year’s Magic Millions to Waterhouse and Bott. She foaled a St. Mark’s Basilica filly this season and went back to Justify.

In 2024 alone, Justify has sired 10 stakes performers in three different countries with the group led by graded stakes winners in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.