Scat Daddy's penultimate crop throws up Kentucky Derby hero Justify

Scat Daddy continues to give cause to lament his death at Ashford Stud in Kentucky aged only 11 in December 2015.

The late son of Johannesburg – the source of 25 top-level winners in the northern and southern hemispheres, including Royal Ascot scorers Caravaggio, Lady Aurelia, No Nay Never and Sioux Nation – fielded four runners from his penultimate Classic-aged crop in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday.

Scat Daddy's quartet yielded the winner of the run for the roses with the unbeaten colt Justify, successful by three lengths in the Santa Anita Derby last time out, dominating the field.

Bob Baffert's charge, owned by a partnership that includes WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and Starlight Racing, is the first winner of America's most famous race not to have run as a two-year-old since 1882.

Scat Daddy's other three runners – Combatant, Flameaway and the Aidan O'Brien-trained UAE Derby winner Mendelssohn – failed to reach the top ten, with Mendelssohn bringing up the rear.

The sire, who finished fourth to Street Sense in the Kentucky Derby himself, produced 159 foals in his northern hemisphere crop of 2015.

His final crop, this year's two-year-olds, numbers 147 and has already yielded three exciting winners in Ireland in Skitter Scatter, Sergei Prokofiev and So Perfect.

It is a big year for the Scat Daddy sire-line, as his top-class son No Nay Never is represented by his debut juvenile crop. He got off the mark with a first winner when daughter Mae Never No scored at Belmont on Thursday.

Justify, who will surely be granted the best possible chance at stud when he is eventually retired from racing, was bred by John Gunther's Glennwood Farm in Kentucky, the stud also behind this year's Kentucky Derby ninth Vino Rosso, an impressive winner of the Grade 2 Wood Memorial last time.

Glennwood Farm sold the colt to China Horse Club and Maverick Racing for $500,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2016.

Justify is the third foal out of the Grade 3-placed Ghostzapper mare Stage Magic, making him a half-brother to the Grade 2-placed entire The Lieutenant.

Stage Magic is out of the Grade 1 CCA Oaks third Magical Illusion, who in turn is out of Grade 3 Columbia Stakes winner Voodoo Lily.

Ghostzapper is also the damsire of American Gal, winner of the Humana Distaff on the Kentucky Derby undercard, and fellow Grade 1 scorer Drefong.

Stage Magic has a yearling colt by Will Take Charge, a Pioneerof The Nile colt born April 19 and was booked to visit Quality Road this year.

Her two-year-old filly by Pioneerof The Nile was sold to RS Evans and West Point Thoroughbreds for $230,000 at Keeneland last September and has been named Egyptian Storm.

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