Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Breeders reporting first mares in foal to Justify
Breeders have reported the first mares in foal to unbeaten Triple Crown winner Justify, who began his stud career last month at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky.
The boutique Stonehaven Steadings operation of Versailles, Ky., reported Monday morning that its wellbred mare Venetian Sonata, already the dam of a stakes runner, has checked in foal to Justify. Stonehaven is best known for breeding champion juvenile Shanghai Bobby and also was the birthplace of Grade 1-winning juvenile Daredevil.
Venetian Sonata, a winning Bernardini mare, is the dam of Grade 2-placed juvenile Olive Branch. The mare is a full sister to Grade 2 winner Wilburn and stakes winner La Appassionata, and is a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Beethoven. Their dam, Grade 3 winner Moonlight Sonata, is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Bevo, as well as to Vargas Girl, a multiple stakes producer whose foals are led by Kentucky Oaks winner and champion Abel Tasman.
The Jet Black bloodstock agency earlier reported that its mare Joe’sgoldenholiday checked in foal to Justify on a Feb. 20 cover, her first mating. The winning Harlan’s Holiday mare is a half-sister to two-time Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Goldencents, who was among last year’s leading freshman sires.
Justify, a son of Scat Daddy, is standing his debut season for an advertised fee of $150,000, making him the most expensive new stallion in North America this year.
No Nay Never has U.S. winner
While unbeaten Triple Crown winner Justify, the globe-trotting Grade 1 winner Mendelssohn, and other stakes competitors by the late Scat Daddy have entered stud this season, the well-traveled No Nay Never is already burnishing their sire’s legacy.
No Nay Never, a versatile runner in the mold of many by his sire, was Europe’s leading freshman sire last year for Coolmore, which stands him at its Irish headquarters and has introduced Justify and Mendelssohn to the market this year at its Ashford Stud in Kentucky, where Scat Daddy stood. No Nay Never was represented by his second stakes winner in the United States on Saturday when Onthewaytonevrland won the Rushaway Stakes at Turfway Park.
No Nay Never was campaigned by the Ice Wine Stable of Dave Reid and Frank Antonacci, in partnership with Coolmore, and was trained by Wesley Ward. Both Onthewaytonevrland and the stallion’s other domestic stakes winner, Mae Never No, were bred by Ice Wine and are trained by Ward.
Onthewaytonevrland, foaled in Ireland, races as a homebred for Ice Wine. The gelding has two wins and two seconds from four starts while racing on four different tracks. The Rushaway marked his stakes debut, as well as his first start around two turns.
“I’m really proud of him,” Ward said. “He seems to be a really nice one. The mile and a sixteenth proves that his sire, No Nay Never, can get them to go around two turns.”
Mae Never No, also bred in Ireland by Ice Wine, races for Breeze Easy LLC. The filly has never missed the board while competing primarily in stakes competition, winning the off-the-turf Colleen Stakes at Monmouth last summer and recording three other stakes placings, including thirds in the Tremont and Speakeasy stakes against males.
No Nay Never won 4 of 6 career starts and never was worse than second while running on turf, dirt, and synthetic in three countries. After winning the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at the renowned Royal Ascot meeting in England in 2013, he went on to capture the Group 1 Prix Morny in France. The following season, he was second in the Grade 2 Swale Stakes on Gulfstream Park’s main track, won the Grade 3 Woodford Stakes on turf at Keeneland, and finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, beaten a halflength by Bobby’s Kitten.
No Nay Never’s first crop includes Ten Sovereigns, winner of the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket; and Land Force, winner of the Group 2 Richmond Stakes at Goodwood. He also was represented by Irish stakes-winning juveniles All The King’s Men, No Needs Never, and Servalan; Group 1-placed The Irish Rover; group stakes-placed Neverland Rock and We Go; and stakesplaced runners Art du Val, Chestnut Honey, Cosmic Law, Nonna Grazia, and Vanilla Law.