First Stakes-Winner for Justify

Triple Crown hero Justify posted his first stakes-winner on Sunday when exciting filly Statuette (2f Justify x Immortal Verse, by Pivotal) made it two wins in as many starts when taking out the Group II Airlie Stud Stakes (6f) at The Curragh.

Trained by Aidan O’Brien for Coolmore and partners, Statuette was a short priced favourite following her impressive debut win at Navan last month.

Ridden by Ryan Moore, Statuette surged to the line to win by three-quarters of a length.

“Statuette is a very big filly and we were really only training her to be three-quarters ready with an eye on the last part of the season” said Aidan O’Brien.

“With a filly like that, if you train her too hard she could bolt up today, but you might have no filly for the end of the season. We were a little bit worried when the ground got soft that she could have gotten very tired but her class got her through.

“She has a beautiful mind, a great stride and an unbelievable physique. She is a filly with a lot of class and she should have no trouble getting a mile.”

Statuette is the fourth winner from dual Group I winning Pivotal mare Immortal Verse and is a three-quarter sister to last season’s Group I winning filly Tenebrism, who is by another Group I winning son of Justify’s sire Scat Daddy in Caravaggio.

Justify also had a smart winner in North America on Sunday with promising colt Prove Right (2c Justify x Joe'sgoldenholiday, by Harlan's Holiday) saluting at Churchill Downs over 5½f by more than three lengths at his second start.

Justify has had four winners from eight runners with Statuette his first stakes-winner and North American trained colt Tahoma being stakes-placed.

He has also had three others runners placed, so seven from eight have finished top three.

Justify will have his first Australian runners next season with his progeny selling here for up to $1million at the sales this year.