So You Think wasn’t a lone ranger over the weekend. His visiting stablemate, the Champion Australian First Season Sire Justify, also continued his global accession up the stallion ranks by siring stakes winner four in the Southern Hemisphere.
The son of Scat Daddy (USA) shuttles between Coolmore's Ashford Farm in America and Jerry's Plains in Australia.
On Monday, Justify sired his 22nd stakes winner (six colts and sixteen fillies) when the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained Star Of Justice won the G3 Barneswood Farm S. at Ashburton in New Zealand.
He's made a global impact as a stallion already siring stakes winners in the USA, Ireland, Australia, France, Great Britain, Canada and New Zealand.
Racing in the Te Akau Racing silks the 3-year-old filly was a 1l winner from her stablemate Viva Vienna (NZ) (All Too Hard), while Luvnwar (NZ) (War Decree {USA}) finished third.
Star Of Justice was a NZ$190,000 purchase for David Ellis (CNZM) from the draft of Pencarrow Stud at the 2022 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale. In winning the Group 3 at only her third start the filly now looks destined to chase Classic glory in the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas.
Star Of Justice is the fourth indivdual stakes winner from the first Southern Hemisphere crop of Justify. Interestingly, she is the second stakes winner bred from a daughter of Coolmore's Fastnet Rock.
Star Of Justice powers to the line to win the G3 Barneswood Farm S. at Ashburton | Image courtesy of Race Images South
Justify's star juvenile, Learning To Fly, is also from a daughter of the veteran sire.
Global sire
Justify has had a red-hot start to his career, as the Monday and the weekend results prove. In Great Britain, his exciting son, City Of Troy (USA), flew to victory in the G1 Dewhurst S., drawing comparisons to the wonder horse, Frankel (GB). While in Australia, Air Assault, one of the standouts from Justify’s first Southern Hemisphere crop, showed his staying prowess to win the Listed Hill Smith S. over 1800 metres.
Air Assault won the G3 Sires’ Produce S. as a juvenile, and Saturday’s success could propel him for a tilt at the G1 VRC Derby.
All of this excites the team at Coolmore. Speaking to The Thoroughbred Report, Coolmore's marketing and nominations, Tom Moore said, “We have very little doubt that Justify is the best up-and-coming young sire in the world. You had to see City Of Troy’s win in the Dewhurst to believe it, but he is also doing a super job here from his Australian-bred crops.
“Today (Monday) we saw him produce his fourth Southern Hemisphere-bred stakes winner, with Star Of Justice taking out the G3 Barneswood Farm Stakes in New Zealand for Te Akau. She most likely pushes on to a G1 Thousand Guineas now, while his sons Air Assault and Verdad look like live Derby chances.”
Justify (USA) | Standing at Coolmore
Power, performance and looks
So You Think ticks all the boxes to be a success. With Hollywood good looks and racing performance to boot, the son of the late Coolmore stallion High Chaparral (Ire) reminded everybody on Saturday he’s one serious stallion.
It was October 14 years ago that So You Think contested the G1 Caulfield Guineas; he would be an unlucky fifth to his now Coolmore barn-mate Starspangledbanner.
So You Think (NZ) | Standing at Coolmore
Caulfield Guineas Day has changed since that Saturday in 2009, with the meeting now joined by Sydney’s The Everest meeting. The richest race on turf, carrying $20 million in prizemoney, caters to what the ‘Australians are best at breeding’ - sprinters.
Held over 1200 metres at Randwick, the likes of Snitzel, Not A Single Doubt, and Nicconi have sired winners, all stallions noted for passing on their speed.
Saturday saw So You Think join this list when his near-freakish son Think About It continued his extraordinary rise and almost indomitable will to win in the seventh edition of The Everest.
The victory pushed So You Think atop of the Australian General Sires’ table for the 2023/24 season. He has a $1,420,387 lead over I Am Invincible, who denied him last season.
Talking to The Thoroughbred Report, Moore said, “When a 10-time Group 1 winner like So You Think goes to stud, naturally there is a lot expected of him. As it has transpired, he has developed into one of the most elite and consistent stallions in this part of the world over a long period of time.
“... he (So You Think) has developed into one of the most elite and consistent stallions in this part of the world over a long period of time.” - Tom Moore
“He has been a top 15 sire for each of the last six seasons but has continued to climb his way up the list as he gets older. Since the start of the 2021/22 season, his progeny in Australia have amassed almost $50 million in prizemoney in Australia alone, and in this time, he has produced five individual Group 1 winners.
“So You Think is a truly phenomenal stallion who continues to get better and better, and some of his best-bred crops are yet to hit the track. At Coolmore we have So You Think foals on the ground out of mares like Personal, Crystal Bound, Pontiana, Formality, Invincible Star and Petition, which gives an indication of the support he is now receiving. He has always been extremely popular with breeders and was the most popular stallion in Australia last season, so even though he is on top of the sire table at present, we think he can only continue to reach greater heights as time goes on. As such, he represents great value.”
“So You Think is a truly phenomenal stallion who continues to get better and better, and some of his best-bred crops are yet to hit the track.” - Tom Moore
Rare air
Siring the winner of The Everest is an outstanding achievement for a stallion who never raced or won below 1400 metres. That’s no slur on So You Think; he won two Cox Plates for the legendary Bart Cummings.
Moore reminded breeders of So You Think's rare ability, “So You Think was a horse with such rare ability, capable of beating top-class horses at a range of distances. You have to remember that he won the Memsie Stakes over 1400 metres against the likes of Whobegotyou and Typhoon Tracy, so it isn’t a complete surprise that he has produced a world-class sprinter like Think About It.
“So You Think was a horse with such rare ability, capable of beating top-class horses at a range of distances... so it isn’t a complete surprise that he has produced a world-class sprinter like Think About It.” - Tom Moore
So You Think showed incredible determination to place in the Melbourne Cup before embarking on international duty.
Joining the Ballydoyle maestro, Aidan O’Brien, the son of High Chaparral flew the Australasian flag, adding another five Group 1 victories to his CV, including the Prince Of Wales’s S. and the Irish Champion S.
Retiring to Coolmore Stud in July 2012, So You Think has sired 54 stakes winners; among them are winners of the G1 Queen Elizabeth S., the G1 Randwick Guineas and the G1 AJC Derby.
Tom Moore | Image courtesy of Inglis
He’s also sired winners of the G1 Sydney Cup, G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas and G1 Tattersall's Tiara, underlining his versatility.
The progeny of So You Think have been well sought-after with his outstanding daughter Nimalee, a victress of the G1 Queen of the Turf, selling for $3.6 million to Coolmore and Colm Santry Bloodstock at the 2023 Inglis Chairman’s Sale.
“He’s no stranger to producing elite horses over sprint distances, obviously highlighted by Think About It, but also Palaisipan, Nakeeta Jane, Fasika, Peltzer, Rocketing By and others. He is an incredibly versatile stallion and that is one of his great features.”
Nimalee, winner of the G1 Queen of the Turf | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Everest sire
Think About It’s place in history is assured with the victory, while So You Think becomes the second stallion to have graced Coolmore, Australia, to sire a winner of The Everest.
The now Swettenham Stud-based Rubick began his career at Coolmore, where he left the 2019 The Everest winner Yes Yes Yes, whose first crop of 2-year-olds hit the track this season.
Think About It | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“Think About It winning The Everest on the weekend was a great thrill for everyone at Coolmore and we were delighted for all at Proven Thoroughbreds, Joe Pride Racing and Newgate. So You Think has covered in excess of 1130 mares in the last five seasons, not only because is he a great stallion, but he is also incredibly fertile. He is extremely popular yet again, however given his fertility he always picks up a few mares throughout the season,” Moore told TTR AusNZ.
“So You Think is unique amongst all the proven sires throughout Australia. He’s a total outcross, can produce top-class sprinters, milers and stayers, both colts and fillies and is on a steady upward spiral. His level of versatility is very rare. He can produce Everest winners, Guineas winners, Oaks winners and Sydney Cup winners.”
“So You Think is unique amongst all the proven sires throughout Australia. He can produce Everest winners, Guineas winners, Oaks winners and Sydney Cup winners.” - Tom Moore
Other sires fly the flag
Another shuttle stallion, Galileo’s (Ire) outstanding son Churchill (Ire), sired his first Group 1 Southern Hemisphere winner when his good-looking son Attrition won the G1 Toorak H.
It was a particularly well-timed result as Churchill returned to Coolmore this season at a fee of $22,000 (inc GST).
While in Hong Kong’s G2 Sha Tin Trophy on Sunday, Starspangledbanner sired the first and third past the post, with his outstanding son, California Spangle (Ire), claiming successive victories in the race. The Group 2 proved to be an all-Coolmore event as the second-placed galloper was by Churchill.
Team effort
The Coolmore-born and raised Fangirl (Sebring), bred by Woppitt Bloodstock, also further illustrated the quality of thoroughbreds to come off the property.
The daughter of Sebring was dominant in winning the $5 million King Charles III S. at Randwick. The King Charles III is the third Group 1 of her 21-start career.
Fangirl, winner of the G1 King Charles III S. | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“The graduates of Coolmore Australia have been having a great run of success, but it has been a particularly fruitful time of late with feature wins for Fangirl, I Am Me, Riff Rocket and Star Of Justice, all raised and grazed at the farm.
“In 2023 alone, we have had four Group 1 winners come off the farm and we hope there will be a few more before the end of the season. There is no single factor that ensures this sustained success, but when you combine elements such as talented and dedicated staff, great clients, top stallions, healthy pastures and attention to detail it is no coincidence.”
