Justify has had a thumping first season in Australia and he added another promising one to his arsenal with a five-length debut winner in Victoria on Friday.
Naval Academy, trained by the Maher/Eustace operation out of Ballarat 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 asway to win by five lengths with seemingly something reserve.
A homebred for Robert and Barbara McLure’s Morning Rise in Victoria, Naval Academy is by Justify out of Kinetic Design (Master Of Design), a stakes placed grand-daughter of Group One winner Kapchat.
The So You Think yearling out of the mare was sold by Morning Rise at this year’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale for $300,000 to Legend Racing.
Justify is returning somewhat triumphantly to Coolmore for the 2023 breeding season at a fee of $77,000.
He will be crowned Champion First Season Sire at season’s end courtesy of his now seven winners, including three stakes winners in Learning To Fly, Air Assault and Legacies.
