Justify becoming one of the all-time great stallions

“We feel he is on his way of becoming one of the all-time great stallions,” said Tom Magnier of Coolmore Australia with Justify not shuttling to Jerry’s Plains next season.

In fact, Justify will be standing palmately at Ashford Stud in Kentucky, and will be mated to select mares to southern hemisphere time later this year, the same as Frankel in Newmarket.

With the Brisbane Winter Carnival still be staged, Justify sits second as both Leading Australian Sire of 2YOs and Leading First Season sire with Storm Boy being high on the 2YO honours listings.

And with his yearlings always selling well, in January his Invincible Star colt made $1.3m at the Magic Millions, and at Sydney Easter his Crystal Fountain also sold for $1.3m to trainer Chris Waller.

Now with five Group 1 winner’s word-wide in this his only third season, last year’s European Champion 2YO City of Troy is ‘said to be unbeatable’ for the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Again in the hands of Ryan Moore for master trainer Aiden O’Brien, he was an outstanding 3½ length winner of the valuable Dewhurst Stakes of 7f over the Tattersalls Stakes winner Alyanaabi.

In previously winning the Superlative Stakes of 7f by 6½ lengths, he was a Curragh 7fmaiden winner, and races in the dark blue silks of Mrs John Magnier, with Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith.

Home bred by Coolmore under the partnership of Orpendale, Chetston, Wynatt, he’s the immediate family of the Prix Jean Prat winner and sire Lord Shanakill and Oaks winner Forever Together.

Half-brother to Gr3 winner Military Style and stakes-placed winners Absolute Ruler and King of Athens, he from Gr1 winning Galileo mare Together Forever, tracing to Spanish Fren, Hearts of Fire.

In being as short as $1.60 favourite with betting agencies, City of Troy is Aiden O’Brien’s only runner, and jumps from Gate 2 in a field of 11, with the Richard Hannon trained Rosallion at $5 with betting apps.

With Sean Levey again riding Rosallion having won the Grand Criterium, it’s Charlie Appleton and William Buick with Notable Speech at $11 in winning all his starts on the Kempton all-weather.

With the HKJC World Pool again returning to Newmarket from ‘Summer in The Colony’s’ its wagering on all 9-races and open to Win, Place, Quinella, Quinella Place, Tierce, Forecast and Treble.

In fact, the success in Australia had Michael Fitzsimons, Executive Director of HKJC Wagering Products state “Australia had been a great addition to our World Pool coverage and to break new ground again with the full 10-race card at Randwick.”

‘The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and we cannot wait to return to Australia later in the year, and for now we are looking forward to our UK debut for 2024 and a big Flat Season.’

The Championships Day 2 at Royal Randwick was the first time a 10-race programme for any one venue that was available ‘through the largest globally commingled horse racing HKJC pool.’

Also on Day 2, Saturday 13 April, betting was conducted worldwide with the Australian parimutuel pools NSW TAB, S-TAB and UBet combining to create a national pool that commingled.

A heroic victory by front-running Pride of Jenny in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes of 2000m had turnover just under HK$280 million, A$55.77 million across Win, Place, Quinella, Duet and Trifecta.

The A$8,000 World Pool Moment of The Day went to Christine Duffy, strapper of Provincial-Midway Championships Final winner Territory Express, one of four horses trained by Paul Niceforo.

The partner of Group 1 winning jockey Robbie Dolan, Christine is now in the running for a trip to Hong Kong next year should the Territory Express be selected as World Pool Moment of The Year.