The search for outcross sires to help Australian breeders move away from the saturation of Danehill speed lines to ultimately produce some more versatile thoroughbreds has been given a big boost by two young stallions that have really earned their stripes with their first Australian runners this season and both are Premium stallions on Breednet so are available for Hypothetical matings.
Justify (USA) is the leading Australian first season sire by earnings and Brave Smash (Jpn) is the leading sire by winners.
An undefeated Kentucky Derby and US Triple Crown hero Justify (USA) is a towering chestnut son of outstanding sire Scat Daddy, who achieved amazing results in his eight seasons at stud before his premature death ay the height of his fame. He sired 98 stakes-winners, 16 of them Group I winners with Justify the best of them having been successful from 1400 to 2400m.
Scat Daddy enjoyed 79% winners to runners and 13.4% SW to runner, so was undoubtedly an exceptional stallion and his Group I winning sprinter No Nay Never is continuing his success for Coolmore in Ireland where he stands at a fee of €175,000.
Justify is a very different beast to No Nay Never, who shuttled to Australia for four seasons with his best locally bred performer the Group I MRC Thousand Guineas winner Madame Pommery.
A dirt tracker with a US pedigree, Justify was regarded initially with a high degree of scepticism by Australian breeders, who no doubt wondered whether he was just too different to succeed, but you can’t argue with results.
His seven winners from 17 runners include three stakes-winners – Learning to Fly, Air Assault and Legacies – and all seven of those winners are bred from mares that have Danehill somewhere in their pedigree.
In the Northern Hemisphere, Justify has sired two Group I winners this year – Aspen Grove and Arabian Lion- from his first crop that are now three year-olds and it’s not hard to see him doing something similar here.
Justify remained in Kentucky last year after three seasons in Australia and returns this year at a fee of $77,000, so for breeders looking to put some size, scope and outcross blood into a speed mare, he’s going to put himself right in the picture.
Brave Smash (Jpn) was a stakes-winner at two in Japan at 1600m, but really found his calling when dropped back in trip as an older horse to show dazzling brilliance in sprint races winning two Group I races in Australia at 1200 and 1400m as well as placing in two G1 Newmarket Handicaps and an Everest.
He started his stud career at Aquis, but burgeoning results saw him relocated to Yarraman Park and given a fee increase to $33,000 for this spring with his 10 winners from 27 runners including stakes-winner Brave Mead and Group placed Kimochi and Brave Strike. Five of his 10 winners are from mares with Danehill blood including his two stakes-placed horses.
A Sunday Silence line sire that has a double cross of champion Japanese sire Northern Taste and traces to the same female family that has produced current leading Japanese sire Daiwa Major, Brave Smash is a speed oriented Japanese blueblood… what’s not to like!
His book is apparently full, but securing a nomination is one thing and selecting which mare to actually send is another, so let’s get testing with some Hypothetical matings.
Interesting to note Brave Smash has had just one runner to date from a mare by I Am Invincible and that is his Group placed filly Kimochi, so that’s good news given he’s likely to see a lot more I Am Invincible mares given his new home at Yarraman Park!
