As consignor Francis Vanlangendonck of Summerfield described a Justify colt to be offered Sept. 17 in the Keeneland September Yearling Sale as "stocky," the chestnut colt walked past with his large hind end blocking much of the immediate view outside his barn.
That side immediately provided evidence that Vanlangendonck was not exaggerating his description of the colt consigned by Summerfield, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised, scheduled to be offered Saturday in the opening session of Book 3 at the mammoth yearling sale.
"Yeah, he's real stocky. He's medium size overall but real stocky—a big girth and hip on him," Vanlangendonck said. "He has a great walk from the side.
"At Stonestreet, they breed so many stakes horses and they put a lot of effort into it. They have a great team over there. So they do a great job," Vanlangendonck said. "They do everything right. When they send me a yearling, it is ready to be sold."
That most assuredly is true of this Justify colt to be offered as Hip 1401. Not only is the colt a son of a Triple Crown winner, he is a half brother to English highweight juvenile filly and group 1 winner Lady Aurelia (by Scat Daddy) as well as stakes-placed winner Titletown Five (by Tiznow).
Both of those runners won races at age 2, with Lady Aurelia not only scoring at the highest level but also, in her racing debut, setting a track record for 4 1/2 furlongs on the main track at Keeneland. They are out of D' Wildcat Speed, a sensation in Puerto Rico where she earned Horse of the Year honors at age 3 after winning all 12 of her starts that 2003 season. A daughter of Forest Wildcat, she was then sent to the mainland where she won the Rampart Handicap (G2) at Gulfstream Park.
Similar success has followed in her broodmare career, where she boasts five winners from seven starters.
The colt's sire, who ended his undefeated racing career with a sweep of the American classics, has enjoyed a quick start at stud. He is the leading freshman sire of black-type stakes winners with four through Sept. 15 and ranks third overall on the first-crop list. That beginning has helped his 37 yearlings sold through the first two books of this sale (including one 'post sale') average $384,189, topped by a pair of seven-figure horses.
"The sire is doing awfully well and keeps improving. Obviously he's going to be a top sire for a long, long time," Vanlangendonck said. "And the half sister, Lady Aurelia, she was the best of the best and ran on both continents. That connection to her is bringing this colt a lot of attention—a lot of people looking at him. So yeah, we're pretty excited about him."
