Just As Well Retired

Just As Well by AP Indy has been retired from stud duties, to the farm of Juli Santini – Juli, whose family own Roski Stud, were the bulk shareholders of Just As Well during his stallion career.

Affectionately known as JAWS, an abbreviation of his name and in no way a reflection of his lovely temperament, he stood at Spring Valley Stud for the duration of his stud career.

Just As Well arrived with an interesting history and raced in the USA, Canada and Japan, including crossing the line in a Canadian Gr1 but losing it in the boardroom. He placed 2nd in two major international Gr1 races.

From small numbers, with only 12 coverings in his early years for a season, he always maintained a high winners to runners percentage of 40% and over consistently – and produced the likes of Gr3 Caradoc Gold Cup winner Just Cruised In, Ready To Run Cup winner Chili Con Carne, and feature filly Just Chaos and Just As I Said, as well as Bruce Le Roux’s Well In Flight, now at stud. He never attracted the support he deserved and we may very well have seen a champion sire had he received full books each year.

Just As Well always produced a handsome, sound horse that had good bone and often produced a stocky, flashy chestnut, excellent temperaments and were almost guaranteed to earn their keep for their owners and more.

Just As Well, bred on the same cross as Judpot (also out of a Gr1 winning Nureyev mare) was Timeform Rated 118 and from the family of top sires Raven’s Pass, E Dubai. His siblings include dual Gr1 winner Rainbow View and Gr2 winner Utley, as well as Gr3 winner Winter View. His Invincible Spirit “niece” Stunning Spirit placed once again in a French Gr3 over the weekend.

The Late Greg Royden-Turner of Roski Stud who was instrumental in the head hunting, purchasing and the importation of Just As Well, recounted how there is a large space empty space in the race career of Just As Well from 2006 – 2008.

“His owners had a ranch, and Just As Well injured himself and they decided to take him home to rest. What they did was let him out and he ran, literally in the mountains, with the wild horses they had. They actually forgot about him! They retrieved him off the mountains a year later – and I think that did the world of good for Just As Well. He was never unsound after that, they said he had matured physically and emotionally and went onto his career best performances!”

Juli Santini reports on her social media that he has settled in with two mares for company very well at their farm in Lidgetton, where he will now produce polo ponies as a sire.