There are indeed some New York-breds with impressive pedigrees.
Yet few, if any, can boast bloodlines as regal as Chester and Mary Broman's 2-year-old homebred filly, Im Just Kiddin.
Bred in New York by the Bromans, who are perennially among the leading owners and breeders in the Empire State, Im Just Kiddin is a daughter of the Lemon Drop Kid mare Khancord Kid, making her a half sister to Bar of Gold, a New York-bred who won the 2017 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) for the Bromans at 66-1 odds.
If that's not impressive enough, her sire is Justify , one of the sport's 13 immortals who swept the American Triple Crown.
Blend the two families and you have the kind of pedigree that can spark the fervent hopes that were on display Aug. 12 at Saratoga Race Course when Im Just Kiddin captured her second start and in the process gave Ashford Stud's freshman sire Justify his first winner on turf in the United States.
"They don't get much better," trainer John Kimmel said about the juvenile filly's pedigree. "That was one of the reasons they kept her. I can see her going into his broodmare band at some point."
Winning by a length in Friday's first race at the Spa, a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight on the turf for New York-bred 2-year-old fillies, Im Just Kiddin, in a word, justified the faith that she would be successful on turf after finishing second on dirt in her July 15 career debut.
Kimmel's original plan was to run her in an Aug. 10 race on dirt, but when she landed on the also-eligible list, Friday's turf race became the target.
"To me, she always moved like a turf horse," said Becky Thomas, who prepares the Bromans' horses for their racing careers at her Sequel New York farm and recommended that the Bromans keep her rather than offer her at a sale. "We have a turf course at our farm, and we galloped her on it and she looked great. She was very talented and a filly from his premier family. We had her entered in a sale and I told Chester I just loved her, and he decided to keep her."
Jockey Jose Ortiz, who rode the filly in both starts, also voiced a belief that she would be well-suited to turf.
"She's 100% better on the turf. I worked her on the dirt and rode her in a dirt race and she ran like a turf horse. She was struggling late in her dirt race but today she had a beautiful turn of foot on the grass. I loved the way she did it today," Ortiz said. "I think she will go a lot longer. She galloped out great and came back like she didn't run. I am sure she has the caliber to compete in open company."
The victory on turf was no doubt welcomed news for the Coolmore team and the owners and breeders who have bought sons and daughters of the 2018 Triple Crown winner or sent their mares to the son of Scat Daddy. Justify's first turf winner was the European-based Statuette, who won the Airlie Stud Stakes (G2) at the Curragh in her second start.
"The start that Justify has made with his first runners is very impressive. He has gotten off to a fast start on both surfaces with graded stakes winners on the dirt and turf, both here and in Europe, and it was great to see him get off the mark om the turf here in America with Im Just Kiddin winning on the turf at Saratoga for her breeders, Chester and Mary Broman, who have been big supporters of Justify," said Robyn Murray, coordinator of sales and marketing for Coolmore America. "Whatever he achieves with his 2-year-olds can only improve with time. Scat Daddy looks set to become the best sire ever at Coolmore America."
Kimmel, who also trained Bar of Gold for the Bromans, said, "Justify's yearling crop looked very good, and I think he's poised to be a very good stallion. I wouldn't shy away from buying one. The Justifys are being well-received."
Ortiz also said there was much to like about Justify's future as a stallion.
"I think Justify being by Scat Daddy can produce dirt or turf horses. He will be a great sire for our industry and I'm very excited to see his babies run," the Eclipse Award-winning rider said. "With this filly, I think it was a very smart cross. She can run on turf or dirt but if she's going to do great things in open company it will be on grass."
While Im Just Kiddin prevailed as a 4-5 favorite, the race frazzled Kimmel's nerves before it started as his other entrant, Daniel Sullivan III's Kingsley Creek, flipped while being loaded into the starting gate and ran off after dumping jockey Jose Gomez. Fortunately, neither horse nor rider was seriously hurt.
"The filly looks OK," Kimmel said. "She didn't run off very far."
Im Just Kiddin ($3.60), also a half sister to the stakes-placed Land Mine and Homeland, was timed in 1:03.18 for her victory over runner-up Highway Harmony, a daughter of Mo Town making her career debut for trainer Jorge Abreu and owners NY Final Furlong Racing Stable, Maspeth Stables, and Sportsmen Stable.
Kimmel said he was uncertain of where Im Just Kiddin will race next. He said the timing for the Sept. 1 P.G. Johnson Stakes at Saratoga could be "tight" and mentioned the Sept. 17 Natalma Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine, a "Win and You're In" stakes for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T), as another option.
"This was a delight," Mary Broman said.
