breednet.com.au

2.3million Justify Colt Stars as Exciting Godolphin 3YOs Win Jumeirah Guineas Races

Tara Madgwick - Sunday March 2

Meydan hosted a big meeting in Dubai overnight with Godolphin runners dominating the stakes races and of particular interest their classy three year-olds Ruling Court (Justify) and Mountain Breeze (Lope de Vega) took out the Listed Jumeirah 2000 Guineas (1m) and 1000 Guineas (1m).

Godolphin made headlines last year when paying €2.3million for a colt by Justify at the Arqana May Breeze Up Sale and that’s Ruling Court, who won brilliantly on debut at Sandown last July before finishing an underwhelming third in the Group IIII York  Acomb Stakes.

Trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by William Buick, he was back in action overnight for the first time since then and bolted in to win by six lengths.

Ruling Court is now 10-1 for the Group I Newmarket 2000 Guineas.

“Ruling Court was superb, I couldn't have asked for a better effort from him. Charlie [Appleby, trainer] was very keen for him to learn a little bit along the way and bring him forward. He learnt plenty there, his acceleration was instant and he's got a huge amount of talent. I think he'll get a mile and a quarter and he's a much stronger horse this year. He's very exciting,” said William Buick.

The 39th stakes-winner for Justify, Ruling Court was a super successful pinhook having initially been bought from Keeneland September as a yearling for $150,000 by Norman Williamson.

Advertisement

He is the first winner for Group III placed High Chaparral mare Inchargeofme, a sibling to a pair of Group I placed horses in Mythical and Johann Strauss as well as the dam of Group III winner Nagirroc.

The Jumeirah 1000 Guineas for the fillies was again won by Appleby and Buick with Lope de Vega filly Mountain Breeze, a three-quarter sister to Champion 2YO Pinatubo. She raced away for an easy win, albeit in far slower time that recorded by Ruling Court.

Group placed twice last season at two, she won a lead up race at Meydan last month and has now won four of eight starts and becomes the 143rd stakes-winner for Lope de Vega.

She is the third stakes-winner among six winners from stakes-winning Dalakhani mare Lava Flow.

Advertisment
More Reading...
30 Runners in Goffs Million!
The stage is set for Europe’s richest two-year-old race, the Goffs Million (7f), which has attracted a maximum field of 30 runners at the Curragh this Saturday and the €1 million contest, with prize money down to 10th, is only open to graduates of last year’s Goffs Orby Sale.
€1.9million Sale-Topping Colt Wins G3 Somerville Stakes
The Group III Somerville Stakes (7f) was run at Newmarket overnight with the Godolphin blue carried by exciting Night of Thunder colt Distant Storm, who they purchased for a sale-topping €1.9million at the Arqana May Breeze Up Sale earlier this year.
Golden Rose Colts – Sires of the Future
The $1million Group I ATC Golden Rose (1400m) this Saturday offers the winner far more than prizemoney and assuming it’s a colt he is given a golden ticket to a commercial stud career, so let’s take a look at this year’s contenders, who would you want on your stallion roster in 2026?
Favourite Whisky On The Hill (GB) Wins Listed R.M. Ansett Classic
With just a small field of seven runners jumping away in the Listed MRC R.M. Ansett Classic (2415m) at Mornington on Sunday, it was the Glen Thompson trained Whiskey On The Hill (GB) (Ribchester) who took the prize, securing his first black type victory.
Waterford Wins G2 Shannon Stakes
Talented import Waterford (IRE) has long promised to win a stakes race and he did the job in spectacular fashion at Rosehill on Saturday when scoring a dominant win in the $300,000 Group II ATC Shannon Stakes (1500m).
Record-Breaking Weetwood Win To Dundeel’s Tavs
Having not raced since fourth in the Listed BRC Spear Chief Handicap (1500m) during the Brisbane Winter Carnival, the Mark Currie trained Tavs (Dundeel) resumed from a spell to record his first black type victory, winning the Listed Weetwood (1200m) at Toowoomba on Saturday in track record time.
Bred to Win a Caulfield Guineas?
It’s been a good weekend for Yarraman Park's champion sire I Am Invincible with a G1 winner and a colt soon to roll the dice in a G1 of his own.
Kiwi Bred Evaporate Wins G3 Sandown Stakes
Smart four-year-old Evaporate bounced back from a setback to win Saturday’s Gr.3 Sandown Stakes (1500m) in gallant fashion, defeating favourite Transatlantic by a nose.
Beiwacht Breaks Track Record In G1 Golden Rose Romp
With many of the opinion that Godolphin would provide the winner of this year’s $1m Group 1 ATC Golden Rose (1400m), they were right, but not with the 3yo expected as the Chris Waller trained Bivouac colt Beiwacht was simply sensational in his track record breaking victory.
Manhattan Rain Gold Rush in WA
Geisel Park won’t be the only WA breeder on board when the first locally-conceived 2yo crop of its Group 1 sire Manhattan Rain get mobile this season.