A son of Arrowfield Stud’s recently pensioned Not A Single Doubt, dual Group 1 winner Scales Of Justice came off a five month break to overpower triple Group 1 winner Hey Doc in Friday night’s Group II Mortimer Petroleum Australia Stakes (1200 metres at Moonee Valley.
Dean Yendall had the Lindsay Smith trained gelding travelling sweetly behind the pacesetting Hey Doc and when he eased around the son of Duporth in the straight, there was no stopping him.
In a race marred by the fall and subsequent death of the admirable Manuel in the straight, Scales Of Justice defeated Hey Doc by three-quarter of a length with the Shamexpress mare Embrace Me back in a half-neck back in third.
“He’s a wonderful horse and his work during the week was good and when he works good he brings that to the races so its great for the stable in Perth and Victoria,” Smith said.
He’ll go to the Orr (Stakes) and the All Star (Mile) is worth a lot of money and I’m a greedy person so he may finish up in the All Star. He is quite dynamic at the 1200m so I’ve always harboured a desire to take him to Sydney for The Everest. He handles wet tracks so that might be his race down the track.
“As a growing stable we need to win races like this to attract owners. We’ve got a good client base now, we are very heavily supported by Spicer Thoroughbreds but we need some more owners so it’s good for the product.”
With his seventh Group win in the bag, Scales Of Justice advances his record to 12 wins, 9 seconds and 3 thirds from 28 starts with earnings of $2,301,600.
Bred by Gerard and Kathy Hammond, Scales Of Justice was consigned to the 2014 Inglis Premier Yearling sale by Milford Thoroughbreds where he was knocked down to Boomer Bloodstock/Lindsey Smith for $180,000.
A half-brother to three winners including the stakes-placed Cruyfforme (Johan Cruyff), Scales Of Justice is the sixth live foal of the unraced Umatilla mare Beymatilla, a half-sister to the stakes-placed Rancho Rose and to the dam of Group III VRC Standish Handicap winner King Hoaks (King Charlemagne).
Beymatilla was consigned to the 2014 Great Southern Bloodstock Sale where she could not make her paltry $400 reserve but she did not have a live foal after Scales Of Justice and was pensioned after missing to Magnus in 2015.