Spicy Martini Latest Stakes Success for On-Fire Justify

It was a third stakes winner in five days for Justify on Wednesday when Spicy Martini (3f Justify x Extra Olives, by Redoute’s Choice) won the Group III Fred Best Classic at Doomben in Australia.

Settling early in the race run just over 6 ½ furlongs, she was placed in fourth by Craig Williams early. That jockey asked her for her best closing in on the finish line and she got there just in time to win by a head.

The win was the fourth in six starts for the Toby Edmonds and Stephen McLean trainee, who is now eyeing the Group I Stradbroke in 10 days after earning a spot in the race.

“Toby presented her really well with his team," said Williams. "Everyone that's in this race today had the challenge of being there on Saturday and coming back here today. It’s a great initiative by Queensland Racing to make sure they can program it so their horse here is exempt from ballot for the Stradbroke.”

“So Toby and his team have 10 days to get her there in good form. She's a good, tough horse with no weight, makes her own luck. So she's definitely going there with a realistic chance.”

A great-granddaughter of Champion Filly Alinghi, a four-time Group I winner, Spicy Martini is out of the stakes placed Extra Olives. That mare is the dam of four winners from four to race.

Coolmore sold a weanling colt by Home Affairs from Extra Olives at the 2024 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale for $260,000 and Extra Olives produced another filly last spring by Home Affairs before going to St Mark’s Basilica.

This week alone, Justify has seen stakes winners in Australia, Hong Kong, and Japan and has registered six stakes winners and 11 stakes performers in five different countries in the past month.