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Pray For Mir provides Coolmore's Justify with his first stakes winner in Hong Kong

Justify was provided with his first stakes winner in Hong Kong and 45th overall when the Australian-bred Pray For Mir took out Saturday’s Group 3 Lion Rock Trophy at Sha Tin.
Ridden by Matthew Chadwick for trainer Cody Mo, the gelded four-year-old made the running and, once headed inside the final 150 yards, battled back bravely to deny Chancheng Glory by a half-length. There was a further three-quarters of a length back to the third-placed Beauty Eternal.
Bred and sold by Coolmore, Pray For Mir was originally purchased for A$950,000 by TFI, Kia Ora Stud, and Dermot Farrington at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. Raced in Australia as Javaja, he won twice at the Sunshine Coast for trainer Stuart Kendrick.
He is out of Formality, a Group 2-winning and Blue Diamond Stakes-placed daughter of Fastnet Rock. The Justify / Fastnet Rock cross has produced 21 winners from 26 runners and the cohort is headed by six stakes winners with Pray For Mir joining fellow southern hemisphere-bred Group winners Storm Boy, Learning To Fly, Lilac and Star Of Justice.
“This is one of my targets for the season, now a dream has come true. I’m so happy – thanks to all my staff and the owners for their support,” said Mo.
“Today [Matthew] Chadwick controlled the pace very well and the horse carried a light weight. At the end of the season, all the horses were maybe a bit tired and I kept him a bit fresh. This horse is a very honest horse. You can see he has so many seconds and only loses by a little bit.
“We [Mo and Chadwick] have very good communication, this season I have been really supporting local jockeys and I’m happy that together we could win a Group 3.”
Winning rider Chadwick said: “He’s [Pray For Mir] always been very honest, he just gets beat, unfortunately. The weight really helped today. He was left alone and he relaxed really well and when the other one [Chancheng Glory] put it to him, he just kept fighting and his quality just shone through."
Justify shuttled to Coolmore Australia between 2019-2021 and returned for the 2023 season, standing for a most recent fee of A$77,000. He currently stands at Ashford Stud where he commands a fee of US$250,000.

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