Yulong Double With Justify and Waller
The Yulong colours were in the winner’s circle at Canterbury on Wednesday carried by a pair of promising horses by Triple Crown hero Justify that were both bred and sold by Coolmore and trained by Chris Waller.
First to salute was lightly raced colt Officiate (3c Justify x Port Augusta, by Encosta de Lago) followed by a super impressive return for lightly raced mare Mergeila (4m Justify x Invincibella, by I Am Invincible) (pictured).
Tom Magnier has acquired a good number of high class racemares in recent years to add to the stellar broodmare band at Coolmore Australia and one of them was $1.3million Magic Millions National Broodmare purchase Invincibella, whose first foal is Mergeila.
A $750,000 Inglis Easter purchase for Yulong from the Coolmore draft, Mergeila had a win and two placings last year before being sidelined through injury and was on the comeback trail in the Benchmark 72 event over 1250m.
Ridden by James McDonald, she thrashed the opposition to win by more than three lengths.
Stable representative Charlie Duckworth revealed Mergeila is held in high regard and stakes goals are on the horizon.
“The owners have had to be patient and were rewarded today,” said Duckworth.
“She's obviously a talented filly who's a lot better than mid-week grade. Right from her very first career trial, we had her ranked up in our top division of three-year-olds and now she's obviously had that time, so she should rip through the grades.
“She's got an entry in a race like the Golden Eagle and that’s obviously a long way from here, but that's sort of grade we're thinking of for her.”
Mergeila is the first winner for the Chris Waller trained Group I winner Invincibella, who is a half-sister to the dam of another of the Waller stable stars in Group I ATC Australian Derby winner Aeliana.
Invincibella has a two year-old Snitzel filly that was bought by Waller Racing/ Mulcaster Bloodstock for $700,000 at Inglis Easter this year from the Coolmore draft and she has been named Izzybella.
Invincibella was sent to Kentucky last year and is back in Australia and due to foal to Mergeila’s sire Justify.
Bought by Yulong for $700,000 to top the Magic Millions Horses in Training Sale last year, Officiate opened his account with a determined win in testing conditions.
Ridden by James McDonald, Officiate was favourite for the 1550m maiden after resuming from a spell with a good second at Randwick last month.
He found the line well coming from back in the field to score a head win at his third start.
“He didn’t quite know how to put them away, but he was the fit horse today and had to dig deep, but got the job done,” said stable representative Charlie Duckworth.
“He’ll take good confidence going forward.”
Bred by Coolmore, Officiate was a $300,000 Magic million spurchase from the Coolmore drft for KO Thoroughbreds/Munce Racing/Arthur Hoyeau and was then re-offered in the KO Racing draft at the Horses in Training Sale where Yulong snapped him up for $700,000 to top the sale.
Officiate is a half-sister to stakes-placed Lady Young and is the fourth winner from four foals to race from Port Augusta, a half-sister by Encosta de Lago to dual Group I winner and champion 2YO Colt Holy Roman Emperor, Group III winner Milanova and stakes-winners Big Viking and Heart of Oak.
The family has also produced Group I New Zealand Derby winner Sherwood Forest so further may well be better for Officiate.
Justify is available for Southern Hemisphere coverings in Kentucky and he has two sires sons on the roster in Australia in City of Troy and Storm Boy.