Emerging filly Star Of Justice provided Pencarrow Stud with a timely result when she bridged the gap to black type company with aplomb at Ashburton.
The chestnut broke her maiden at Riccarton at her second race day appearance before the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained daughter of Justify claimed the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) on Monday.
Star Of Justice now shares the second line of betting at $8 for next month’s Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and the prospect of further boosting the value of her New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale-bound sister.
They are out of the Fastnet Rock mare Fair Isle, who is currently at Coolmore’s Hunter Valley base.
“Fair Isle is in foal to So You Think and will go back to Justify and our yearling filly by Justify will go to Karaka next year,” Pencarrow Manager Leon Casey said.
“We own the mare with Coolmore and she (Star Of Justice) came over to us to be prepped for the sale.
“We also own Miss Scarlatti, her grandmother, who was a very good mare from a great family and we’ve been looking to get some black type under her.”
Miss Scarlatti won the Listed Super Impose Stakes (1800m) and finished runner-up in the Gr.1 VRC Oaks (2500m). She is a half-sister to the Group winners Abidewithme and Stockman.
Star Of Justice was a $190,000 Karaka purchase for Te Akau’s David Ellis, who had secured her half-brother Stonybreck, a son of Tavistock, the previous year for $20,000 and he is now a five-time winner.
Pencarrow also welcomed a top result with Pearl Of Alsace when the Tavistock mare finished a gallant third in the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Hastings.
Retained to race by breeder Sir Peter Vela and trained by Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray, the valuable five-year-old has won six of her nine starts including last season’s Gr.3 Cuddle Stakes (1600m).
“This time last year, Pearl Of Alsace hadn’t had her first start so she’s really put together a good record,” Casey said.
She is a daughter of the multiple winner and Group performer Irion, a Danroad mare who has also left the Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) winner Zourion.
The Zoustar filly was secured at Karaka by Ellis for $475,000 and is raced by Cambridge Stud with the three-year-old currently domiciled at Te Akau’s Cranbourne base.
“Irion was a really good mare and she’s made a great start at stud,” Casey said.
Her Super Seth filly was bought earlier this year by Ritchie for $260,000 and the mare produced a son of the Dundeel stallion last year.
“Shaun knows a bargain when he sees it and while she did make nice money, her value has continued to go up ever since,” Casey said.
Irion, who wasn’t served in 2022, is now across the Tasman and has been covered by Zoustar.