Spring Valley sire Just As Well has only 40 runners in total on the tracks in South Africa, from juveniles to four year olds and December saw him achieve five winners and 10 places, taking his winners to runners percentage to an impressive 30%.
Just As Well, known affectionately as Jaws, had an unusual story as a racehorse in that after injuring himself, his owner “turned him out into the mountains with the wild ponies,” and he “roughed it out and was forgotten up there for a year!” as the late Greg Royden-Turner of Roski Stud recounts the story.
A vastly underestimated stallion that produces a horse with lovely bone and a fine balance of quality and substance, last season he finished on an impressive winners to runners percentage of 41%, the consistent Just As Well is also the sire of Ready To Run Cup winner Chili Con Carne, and Black Type’s and Group 1 performers Just Africa, Just As I Said and Well In Flight.
Just As I Said has now won two races on the trot at Turffontein over 1160m for trainer Lucky Houdalakis whilst Gavin Van Zyl’s impeccably bred Just Cruised In, won his last start and hasn’t been out of the money in his four previous starts.
He is out of Shadwell Stud’s Modraj by Machiavellian – the mare is from the immediate dam line of Urban Sea, therefore the direct family of super sires Galileo and Sea The Stars. This makes him a half-brother to Dubai winner, Alareef.
Just As Well is also responsible for producing Kenya’s Champion Juvenile colt last season bred by Jill Fox of The Fort Stud, named As Paragon. The colt won again recently in December taking the H.V. Pirie Trophy.
Owned in a partnership, predominantly by Roski Stud and Anton Procter, Just As Well is is the splitting image of his sire AP Indy, out of Gr1 winner No Matter What by Nureyev, and shares a dam line with E Dubai and Raven’s Pass.
Sent back into training, Just As Well had the bulk of his Graded Stakes wins and places after that as an older horse and showed immense courage.
He won four races over dirt and turf from 1000m – 2000m, including crossing the line first in the Gr1 Northern Dancer Breeders Cup Turf Stakes. He also placed second in the Gr1 Arlington Million, the Gr1 Gulfstream Park Handicap and placed in the Gr1 Makers Mark Mile. He is Timeform Rated 118.
Just As Well stood for a fee of R10 000 in 2016.