Lilac Leads Big Day Worldwide for Justify

It was another successful Australian runner for Justify on Saturday when Lilac (3f Justify x Paulownia, by Fastnet Rock) won the Group III James HB Carr Stakes to kick off a strong day for the stallion.

A stakes winner last fall and recently fourth in a Group I, Lilac was racing over seven furlongs on the turf here. She didn’t wait long to take the lead, keeping command throughout the running. A late closing More Territories tried to steal the race from her late, but Lilac wasn’t willing to give in and won by a neck.

“She's always been a bit of a bridesmaid, a lot of seconds, thirds and fourths, and she was already a listed winner, but it's always nice to get that Group win and particularly with such a great group of owners,” said trainer Annabel Neasham.

Racing in the colors of Champion Thoroughbreds, who purchased her for $300,000 with her trainer as a yearling, Lilac has three wins and three other top three finishes in nine career starts with four top three finishes in stakes.

Lilac is out of the Group II placed Paulownia, who is a full sister to Group I winner Foxwedge and stakes winner She’s a Fox. Lilac’s stakes placed second dam Forest Native has been a successful broodmare of producers with her daughters producing six stakes performers between them, led by Group II winner Bank Maur.

Paulownia traveled to Kentucky last year to visit Justify on Southern Hemisphere time and is carrying a full sibling to Lilac.

It was a big day in both hemispheres for Justify, who saw son Crudo (3c Justify x Blossomed, by Deputy Minister) led all the way in a Keeneland Maiden Special Weight. The colt owned by James Ventura and Bobby Flay Thoroughbreds won by 7 ¾ lengths with the third placed runner 15 lengths behind.

The colt bred by the Coolmore partners is trained by Todd Pletcher and went off as a heavy favorite in the seven-furlong dirt race.

Justify’s Just a Touch (4c Justify x Touching Beauty, by Tapit) was another big winner at Keeneland as well.

That colt shadowed the leader early in the 1 1/8-mile race before romping home to win by seven lengths for Qatar Racing, Resolute Racing, and Marc Detampel.

Justify is the sire of 42 stakes winners and 75 stakes performers worldwide, led by seven Grade I winners.