Justify Debut Winner to Watch

Tara Madgwick - Thursday December 22

Coolmore’s Triple Crown hero Justify (USA) has had strong results in the Northern Hemisphere this year with his first crop of two year-olds and posted his 29th individual winner at Dundalk in Ireland with blue-blood filly Diamondsareforever, a daughter of Fastnet Rock’s Group I winning daughter Diamondsandrubies.

Diamondsareforever was an eye-catching debut winner for Justify in Ireland - image Coolmore

A homebred for Richard and Roisin Henry’s Premier Bloodstock, Diamondsareforever is trained by Willie Browne and was ridden by Seamie Heffernan in the 1m maiden.

A tall scopey filly, she showed plenty of potential for the future when forging clear to win by more than a length.

“She’s huge, she is 17.1 hh and her sire is a very big horse himself,” said winning trainer Willie Browne.

“She is very well bred on the dam’s side and you can’t beat class. She is a bit weak at the moment and will get stronger. She’s very laid back and we had a bit of a problem getting the stalls set for her so I thought she would be badly away, but she wasn’t. I knew the way she travelled around into the straight she was going well and I knew she would keep going. Seamie [Heffernan] thinks she has a bit of quality.”

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Diamondsareforever is the first winner for Justify from a daughter of champion Australian sire Fastnet Rock and is a half-sister to group III placed Diamond Sparkles being the third winner from three foals to race from Group I Curragh Pretty Polly Stakes winner Diamondsandrubies.

Diamondsandrubies is a daughter of Group I winner Quarter Moon, a full sister to Group I winner Yesterday, who is the grand-dam of a new stakes-winner this week in Almanzor filly Katoucha.

Diamondsareforever has a pedigree that would suggest classic potential next year for Justify, who has sired six stakes-winners from his NH first crop.

Justify did not shuttle to Australia this year, but has 17 entries for the Magic Millions Yearling Sale including the first foal of Champion 3YO Filly Sunlight to be offered as Lot 445.

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