Statuette a ‘Rising Star’ For Justify

A banner week for Justify continued Saturday when his daughter Statuette (2f Justify x Immortal Verse, by Pivotal) was named a Thoroughbred Daily News Rising Star on debut at Navan.

Aiming to give Justify his second winner, Statuette used her big stride to race just behind the first flight in the 5 ½ furlong turf race. Ryan Moore had his hands full with Statuette eager to show her stuff and show she did.

As they entered the final quarter, Statuette and one other runner took the lead and started to pull away and with an eighth to run, Statuette was all alone.

It was clear that Statuette will thrive with more ground as the chestnut was pulling away from the field in the end to win by a widening three length with the third placed runner 5 ½ lengths behind the winner and the fourth placer 10 lengths back.

“She's a lovely, big filly and was a standout physically. She did that really nicely. She's a Justify out of Immortal Verse, so she's got an incredible pedigree,” Ballydoyle's Chris Armstrong told Thoroughbred Daily News.

“I'd like to think, looking at the size of her, that she will continue to progress throughout the season. She's a filly that Aidan [O'Brien] liked and I'm very happy with what she's done. She has always shown loads at home and could be a filly for the [G3] Albany [S. at Royal Ascot].”

Trained at Ballydoyle by Aidan O’Brien, Statuette’s breeders Merriebelle Stables and the Coolmore partners are joined in her racing ownership by Westerberg.

A half-sister to Caravaggio’s Group I winner and Irish champion Tenebrism, Statuette is out of the great multiple Group I winner Immortal Verse. That mare is out of the stakes winning Side of Paradise and a half-sister to the dam of stakes winner and Group I placed Roseman and his Group I-placed half-brother Baradar.

This is also the family of the three-time Group I winner Last Tycoon among others.

Justify now has two impressive winners on both dirt and turf in the two countries he’s had runners in so far. The stallion also had his two offerings at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale fetch $450,000 and $40,000 earlier this week.