Triple Crown hero Justify (USA) has had a pivotal year posting five Group I winners worldwide and the winners keep coming in Australia with a double on Thursday courtesy or promising three year-olds Jurisprudence and Batrana, who bolted in by four lengths at Ballarat.
The Tony and Calvin McEvoy trained Batrana won on debut last July before spelling and was then not beaten far at her first two runs back this spring albeit racing greenly and not executing as well as she could have.
Fitted with blinkers for the 1400m maiden, Batrana settled in the run for Harry Coffey and when asked to get going dropped her rivals easily to go on and win by four lengths in a dominant display.
“She’d been racing in stronger races, but looked a little bit wayward at times so Tony and Cal decided to put the blinkers on,” said Harry Coffey, who has ridden her in all four of her starts to date.
“I didn’t know if I fully agreed with it as she can be keen, but she got cover and she got it all right today which is a big step for her going forward.”
A homebred for Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum that was foaled and raised at Segenhoe, Batrana is the third winner from three foals to race from Badawiya, a Group II winning Al Maher mare that traces back to champion racemare Emancipation. Badawiya was on-sold at the 2022 Inglis Chairman’s Sale for $140,000 to Hollymount Stud.
Justify made it a double when the Chris Waller trained colt Jurisprudence opened his account with a determined win in the 1600m maiden at Gosford at his third start after placing at his first two.
A $450,000 Magic Millions purchase from Coolmore for China Horse Club/Newgate Bloodstock/Trilogy Racing, Jurisprudence is the one and only foal from Group III winning I Am Invincible mare Eckstein, who sadly died in 2021.
Batrana and Jurisprudence make it 11 Australian winners this season for Justify, who stands at Coolmore a fee of $77,000 with his US fee for 2024 set at US$200,000.
