Storm Boy Heads to Stud at Coolmore Australia

Four-time stakes winner Storm Boy (AUS) will join the Coolmore Australia roster in 2025, standing for an introductory fee of A$16,500, or approximately $10,691. Unbeaten on his first four racecourse appearances in Australia, the son of Justify—who Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien later described as "very fast"—scored wins in the B.J. McLachlan Stakes (G3), Skyline Stakes (G2), and the Magic Millions 2-Year-Old Classic. Following his opening quartet of wins for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, the colt then ran third in the Golden Slipper (G1)—where a slow start did nothing to aid his chance, while he followed that performance up with a fourth in the Inglis Sires' Produce Stakes (G1). Returning as a 3-year-old Aug. 31 of last year, Storm Boy dominated proceedings in the San Domenico Stakes (G3), before a third placing in the Run To The Rose Stakes (G2) and fourth-placed effort in the Golden Rose (G1). His form then fell off in the final three starts. "We are delighted to welcome Storm Boy back to Coolmore Australia for the 2025 season. His early performances on the track really had to be seen to be believed," Coolmore Australia's principal Tom Magnier said. "He was jaw-dropping, much like his sire Justify, he broke his opponents' hearts. He won five of his first seven starts in a really dominating fashion and was unlucky not to include a Golden Slipper in that tally." Sold through the draft of Coolmore (acting as agent for Morning Rise) at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Storm Boy was purchased for A$460,000 (US$317,070) by Waterhouse and Bott and Bruce Slade's Kestrel Thoroughbreds. Coolmore would go on to purchase a controlling stake in the horse in a massive deal in February, 2024 that at the time potentially valued the horse in the region of A$50 million (US$32.4 million). With his final Australian start being a solid eighth in Everest (G1), where he ran in the slot of Coolmore, Storm Boy was then sent over to Ireland to be trained by Aidan O'Brien with a view to taking in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. A debut ninth placing in the Greenlands Stakes (G2) for O'Brien was followed by a tenth-placed finish in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (G1) at the royal meeting this past week "We took Storm Boy to Europe with the plan of winning the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot," Magnier said. "But unfortunately we haven't been able to give him the ideal prep. We felt we were getting back to where we needed to be with him, but he was found to be quite lame since returning to Ballydoyle on Saturday." Despite the European plan not working out, O'Brien was still taken with both Storm Boy's physical prowess and ability. Storm Boy will become the second son of Justify to stand at Coolmore Australia, following last year's Epsom Derby hero and four-time group 1 scorer City Of Troy, who will cover his first book of mares in 2025 at a fee of A$49,500. Storm Boy is out of the winning Fastnet Rock (AUS) mare Pelican, herself a half sister to the group-placed winner Divan, being out of multiple group 1-winning mare Seachange. He is one of six stakes winners, five group scorer and two group 2 winners by Justify out of a Fastnet Rock mare, joining Reisling Stakes (G2) heroine Learning To Fly (AUS), who won her opening three starts.