Pin Oak Stud Nabs Justify Colt on Day 6 at Keeneland

Mt. Brilliant Farm saw its homebred Justify   colt get Day 6 of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale rolling after he drove bidding up to $600,000 Sept. 17. Jim and Dana Bernhard's Pin Oak Stud, bidding over the internet, nabbed the colt consigned as Hip 1684 from the Lexington operation.

"He has been nice his entire life; he thrived out here at the sale every step of the way," Hutton Goodman, racing manager for Mt. Brilliant Farm, commented. "He took everything in stride and never turned a hair; he always responded positively. Everything is a stepping stone from the sales to the races, and it's important to see how they react for their future. Everything adds more to their education and base; the Bernhards made a great choice, and we liked the horse. There are a few good siblings out there, and hopefully, we will get some updates, too."

The chestnut colt by 2018 Triple Crown Champion is out of the Galileo mare Durga Devi, producer of Downtown Leo, the 2021 champion 2-year-old colt in Scandinavia. The son of Speightstown   collected three back-to-back wins at 2 in Norway. The yearling colt was bred in Kentucky in partnership with the Justify Syndicate.

The mare has a More Than Ready 3-year-old colt in Ireland and a juvenile colt by Munnings  , which sold earlier this year during the Spring Sale of 2-year-olds in training at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company for $175,000 to Abdrihn Alsaeed/Almasoud Naif Abdullah before exporting to Korea.

Durga Devi foaled a Liam's Map   filly for this year for Mt. Brilliant Farm and Ranch.

"I loved the colt and the combination of the Galileo mare and Justify," Matt Weinmann who assists Pin Oak Stud said. "He had the muscular Justify frame and elegance from Galileo, it looked like a very nice combination and could be grass or dirt, we will have to see. He is an athletic, beautiful colt."

While the mare only made one career start, her High Chaparral brother Wrote  traveled over to the U.S. to capture the 2011 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) for Coolmore partners en route to three group 2 engagements, where he placed third.

His final two starts were stateside for Northwest Stud Stables, who then stood the stallion in Florida for four years before he transferred to New Zealand.

Sunday's offering sold well past the Goodman's expectations, but the consignor came into the ring with a realistic reserve.

"We weren't expecting that; we were thinking he might bring $250,000, so we are thrilled," Goodman responded. "We have bought a couple back; it's been good, though. When you have the horses everyone wants, it's good, but that's the way it always is. People forget from year to year."