Ramatuelle 10th Juvenile Stakes Winner for Justify

It was a first stakes win for Justify 2-year-old Ramatuelle (2f Justify x Raven’s Lady, by Raven’s Pass) on Sunday with a victory in the Group III Prix du Bois in France.

Looking for her second win in three career starts, the Christopher Head trainee chased the leading Zorken for much of the race under Aurelien Lemaitre. She was asked to get serious about her job with just over a furlong left to run and soon not only took over the lead but was quickly pulling away from the field.

Proving to be much the best, Ramatuelle won by an eased down five lengths for Infinity Nine Horses, Ecurie des Monceaux, Hollymount Stud France, Chun Wai Kwok, Arthur Hoyeau, Ilse Smits, and Clement Tropres.

“It's unbelievable,” co-owner Tony Parker told Thoroughbred Daily News. “It's all you can ask, to have a horse that allows you to dream, and we are really excited after this win ... Christopher [Head] told me in February her program will include the [G2] Prix Robert Papin and the [G1] Prix Morny and maybe we can now go for those big races.”

Bred by Yeguada Centurion Slu, Ramatuelle is the first foal out of German champion and Group II winner Raven’s Lady. That mare is one of three winners out of a half-sister to Group I winner Best of the Bests and to the dam of multiple group winner and multiple Group I placed Prince of Arran.

Raven’s Lady had an Uncle Mo colt in 2022.

A leading second crop sire in the Northern Hemisphere and likely the Champion Freshman Sire in Australia when this season concludes, Justify is the sire of 10 juvenile stakes winners worldwide with 14 2-year-olds placing at the level. That group is led by Group II winners Learning to Fly and Statuette.