Son of Thousand Guineas winner chasing Kentucky Derby crown.
Australia has a link to this year's Kentucky Derby, which will be run on Sunday morning, with one runner a son of a Thousand Guineas winner whose descendants are still having an impact on the track Down Under.
The D Wayne Lukas-trained Just Steel is a son of Justify and Irish Lights, who Aussie racing fans might remember as a filly who achieved great things in the Coolmore navy when trained by David Hayes.
She defeated subsequent Group 1 winners Melito and Faint Perfume to win a strong edition of the Thousand Guineas in 2009.
A daughter of Fastnet Rock, Irish Lights is out of the Hennessy mare Aspen Falls, whose dam River Crossing is a half-sister to legendary producer Fall Aspen.
Irish Lights spent her first seven seasons at stud in Australia, but produced just two foals; Golden Rose runner-up Omei Sword (High Chaparral) and Seirios (Pierro), who won two of eight starts in New Zealand.
Omei Sword continues to impact Australian racing, being the dam of Muramasa (Deep Impact), who won the Coongy Cup and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Group 3 level last spring and just a month ago had a colt by Snitzel sell for $875,000 at Inglis Easter.
Irish Lights was sent to America in early 2017 and in 2018 produced subsequent Listed winner Lippizaner and another colt by Uncle Mo, Mo Z, before foaling Just Steel in 2021.
Just Steel heads into the Kentucky Derby a winner of two of his 11 starts including the Listed Ed Brown Stakes in November last year, while his most recent appearance was a second placing in the Group 1 Arkansas Derby on March 30.
A US$500,000 yearling, Just Steel is a $26 chance in the Derby, in which he will be ridden by Keith Asmussen and jump from barrier six.
The Kentucky Derby is scheduled to jump at 8.57am AEST Sunday.
