John Magnier backs Justify as chestnut leads Coolmore parade

John Magnier has described Justify as having the potential to be "the next big thing" as the doyen of the international breeding industry made an appearance during Coolmore Australia’s virtual stallion parade.

Visitors were unable to see through the gates of Coolmore’s Hunter Valley farm at first hand owing to Covid-19 restrictions, so its roster of shuttlers and residents was shown off, with footage supplemented by input from the likes of Bob Baffert, Chris Waller and Frankie Dettori.

Magnier was interviewed via video link and spoke at length about Justify, the powerful chestnut Triple Crown hero who is standing for $66,000.

"It’s so unusual to win a Triple Crown, people have to realise that there’s only been 13 of them ever, and this fellow is an unbeaten Triple Crown winner," he said.

"You could be talking about he could be a Northern Dancer or he could be a Sunday Silence, he could be the next big thing. The way we look at stallions, if you take [Bull] Hancock’s law, which we often apply to stallions, he fulfils all the criteria there."

Aspects that Hancock, the late giant of Claiborne Farm in Kentucky, would consider necessary as a stallion included looks, stamina, pedigree and juvenile form.

"The one thing you may ask is, 'Why didn’t he do anything as a two-year-old?'" Magnier continued. "Well, the WinStar people have always told us, and Bob Baffert also backs it up, that he had shown a lot of ability as a two-year-old but he just didn’t get to the track, so it was very important for us that we had to know that. We’ve committed a lot of our own best broodmares in Europe and America to him also.

"Another point in the Hancock law is that a horse must prove that he can stay a mile and a quarter. Then as a physical; when Aidan O’Brien went to Kentucky to the yearling sale he went and saw Justify for the first time. He rang me up, he was completely blown away that we could have a horse that looked like a big sprinter that could stay a mile and a half. It’s so very unusual.

"He fulfils the good looks and the masculine type of horse that you must have for a good stallion. Then he has the obvious pedigree advantages through Scat Daddy, and we think that will work very well on the grass. And there’s proof of it, so we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, as it were."

During a worthwhile hour of any breeding enthusiast’s time, the viewer was also shown a number of other new Coolmore names including Calyx, Magna Grecia, Saxon Warrior and Yes Yes Yes.

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