A pair of Justify three-year-olds had only a nose between them on the line at Canterbury on Friday night with short priced favourite Jagjit getting the nod after a tenacious chase over New Forest.
The Waterhouse/Bott trained Jagjit had finished third to subsequent Caulfield Guineas winner Griff at his previous start before spelling and had won a trial impressively leading into this campaign, which he entered as a newly minted gelding, so appeared a justifiable odds-on favourite.
It wasn’t so easy as thought though as New Forest had a better kick at the 400m while Jagjit hit a flat spot and it took a tenacious straight long chase to just get the bob in on the line.
Jagjit is out of the Canadian bred Hennssey mare Inglorious, a five-time stakes winner, and was a $300,000 buy for Waterhouse, Bott and Kestrel Thoroughbreds from Kia Ora Stud at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale.
New Forest trained by Domeland’s Sara Ryan is out of the Fastnet Rock mare Paulownia, a Gr2 placed full sister to Foxwedge and She’s A Fox.
He was a $320,000 buy for Domeland from Coolmore Stud at the Inglis Easter Sale.
The result is the 13th season winner for Justify, just one off the top of the second season winners list at this stage of the year.
