Five Length Debut Winner for Justify

Justify has had an exciting first season in Australia and added another promising winner to his arsenal with a five-length debut victory in Victoria on Friday for Naval Academy (2g Justify x Kinetic Design, by Master of Design).

Trained by the Maher/Eustace operation out of Ballarat, Naval Academy started a short-priced favourite at Warracknabeal and was never in any danger of defeat.

Settled behind the leaders by Dean Yendall, the gelding took control rounding the home turn and raced right away to win the 1000m maiden by five lengths over older rivals with seemingly something reserve.

A homebred for Robert and Barbara McLure’s Morning Rise in Victoria, Naval Academy is by Justify out of stakes-placed Kinetic Design, a grand-daughter of Group I winner Kapchat. The So You Think yearling filly from Kinetic Design was sold by Morning Rise at this year’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale for $300,000 to Legend Racing.

Naval Academy is the seventh Australian winner for Justify, who will be Champion Australian First Season Sire with three stakes-winners to his credit in Learning to Fly, Legacies and Air Assault.

He stands at a fee of $77,000.