With Justify’s very best son City of Troy (USA) shuttling to Coolmore Australia this spring it’s worth remembering the power of the Justify x Fastnet Rock nick and we saw it to the fore at Sha Tin on Saturday when Australian bred four year-old Pray for Mir took out the Group III The Lion Rock Trophy (1600m).
Trained by Cody Mo and ridden by Matthew Chadwick, Pray for Mir produced a tenacious effort to repel all challengers and win his first attempt at a stakes race by half a length.
Pray for Mir won his only two starts in Australia at the Sunshine Coast in 2023 racing as Javaja when trained by Stuart Kendrick and was subsequently sold to Hong Kong. He has the overall record of four wins and six placings from 17 starts.
Pray for Mir delivered a first stakes victory as a trainer for Cody Mo.
Mo, 47, is a rising star among the training ranks. Following his 20-win first campaign (2023/24), the trainer has excelled in 2024/25 with 38 victories including today.
He previously worked with legendary jockey-turned-trainer Tony Cruz, started his journey with The Hong Kong Jockey Club in 1994 as a work rider. Rising up through the local system, he gained experience with David Ferraris and Benno Yung, while with Cruz he campaigned champions Silent Witness and Bullish Luck successfully abroad.
“This is one of my targets for the season, now a dream has come true. I’m so happy – thanks to all my staff and the owners for their support,” said Mo.
“Today (Matthew) Chadwick controlled the pace very well and the horse carried a light weight. At the end of the season, all the horses were maybe a bit tired and I kept him a bit fresh. This horse is a very honest horse. You can see he has so many seconds and only loses by a little bit.
“We (Mo and Chadwick) have very good communication, this season I have been really supporting local jockeys and I’m happy that together we could win a Group 3.”
A $950,000 Inglis Easter purchase from Coolmore for TFI / Kia-Ora Stud / D Farrington, Pray for Mir is the best of two winners from two to race from Group II winning Fastnet Rock mare Formality.
Formality has been a rewarding producer to date for Coolmore with her two subsequent foals, fillies by Zoustar and So You Think, selling for $950,000 and $500,000 at Inglis Easter last year and this year.
Pray for Mir is the 45th stakes-winner for Justify, who had a winning double at Sha Tin with four year-old gelding New Forest scoring over 1650m for the Mark Newnham stable.
A $320,000 Inglis Easter purchase from Coolmore, he is also bred on the Justify x Fastnet Rock cross being a brother to Group winner Lilac from stakes-placed Fastnet rock mare Paulownia.
The nick has produced 21 winners from 26 starters, so 80% winners to runners and the six stakes-winners equate to 23% SW to runner.
Pedigree watchers will no doubt see the obvious appeal of City of Troy for mares by Fastnet Rock given his dam sire is Galileo…. Another big plus for Fastnet!
