By Bren O'Brien
Scales of Justice's (Not A Single Doubt) stunning return to the winner's stall after over two years in Saturday's G3 Bletchingly S. was particularly rewarding for Gerard and Kathy Hammond, who bred him from the first broodmare they ever purchased.
While the Hammonds sold Scales of Justice to Craig Rounsefell of Boomer Bloodstock and trainer Lindsey Smith for $180,000 through Milford Thoroughbreds at the Melbourne Premier Sale five years ago, they have understandably maintained a keen interest in his progress.
Craig Rounsefell (right) of Boomer Bloodstock purchased Scales Of Justice off the Hammonds
He powered through his classes early on, winning seven of his first 13 starts, including the 2016 G1 Railway S. While he was able to win a couple of stakes races in Perth in the winter of 2017, he has been injury plagued since.
Saturday's emphatic 3.25l success at Caulfield was the mark of a horse back to his Group 1-winning best and it proved an emotional victory for Smith, who recently embarked on a bold expansion of his racing operation from his base in Perth to Warrnambool in Victoria.
It was also a huge thrill for the Hammonds, who have ridden the bumps of his 24-start career.
Scales Of Justice as a yearling
"He's been through quite a lot of problems. It was great seeing what he did yesterday," Gerard Hammond told TDN AusNZ.
"It’s been a rollercoaster ride for the connections, but as a breeder, you can't distance yourself from horses like that. It’s been a long hard road so to see him do what he did yesterday was terrific."
"It’s been a rollercoaster ride for the connections, but as a breeder, you can't distance yourself from horses like that. It’s been a long hard road so to see him do what he did yesterday was terrific." - Gerard Hammond
Back around the year 2000, Hammond had purchased a filly called Beymatilla (Umatilla {NZ}) out of a paddock with the intention of racing her, but when she didn’t make it to the track, he opted to breed with her.
"I decided to start up a small breeding business with just a handful of mares and she was my first mare. I loved her pedigree and I fiddled around a bit with fairly cheap stallions," he said.
She proved a handy producer, with her first foal, Cruyfforme (Johan Cruyff {GB}), winning four races, while Mikumi (Grass Wonder {USA}) and Love My World (Spinning World {USA}) were also successful on the track.
Finding the right match
Hammond felt like he needed to find the right stallion to go to Beymatilla to get the best out her pedigree, which features champion filly Dual Choice (Showdown {GB}) as her fourth dam.
"I worked her out eventually and felt that she needed to go to a speed stallion from the Danehill line," Hammond said.
Gerard believed Not A Single Doubt was an interesting match-up
"Not A Single Doubt was an interesting pedigree match-up, because the dam of Redoute's Choice, Shantha's Choice (Canny Lad), was a half-sister to Umatilla and Beymatilla was by Umatilla, so it was an attractive mating," he said.
"I’d been watching Not a Single Doubt for several years, and he was quite cheap originally and his fee made it to $25,000 and I spoke to my wife and I said, this is the most expensive stallion we have used, but I really think we need to do this, because we can get something special."
"I spoke to my wife and I said, this is the most expensive stallion we have used, but I really think we need to do this, because we can get something special." - Gerard Hammond
The confidence that Scales of Justice could be 'something special' was shared by Smith soon after the horse arrived at his Western Australian stables.
"Before the horse had even raced, I’d spoken to Lindsey Smith and about 12 months out from the Railway S. win, he said, 'this horse is the smartest horse I have ever trained, in terms of intelligence, and I'm going to win the Railway Stakes with him',".
"I got off the phone and thought, yeah sure Lindsey, it’s a nice to hear you have got a high opinion of the horse, but I was thinking he was aiming a bit high. He was spot on."
Trainer Lindsey Smith (left) told Gerard that Justice Of Scales was the smartest horse he has ever trained
Building out the family
While Scales of Justice would make the Hammonds Group 1 winning breeders, his dam would help them build out their breeding business.
Mikumi, Beymatilla's second foal, has produced the handy Rat With Goldtooth (Al Maher), who was purchased by Paul Preusker and ran second in Friday's Mildura Cup. Another of Scales of Justice's half-sisters Another Show (Al Maher) has produced a promising Written Tycoon filly Score for John Sadler, who ran at Caulfield on Saturday.
The Hammonds have wound back their breeding interests in recent years, with just two broodmares at Milford Thoroughbreds at Avenel in Victoria.
They race a couple of the horses they have bred but tend to sell the promising ones. The six-time Hong Kong winner New Asia Sunrise (Written Tycoon) fits into that category.
Understandably, Scales Of Justice remains the poster boy and after Saturday's performance, Hammond is hoping he may be back to his best. But he also feels he is capable of improvement as he targets another Group 1 in the spring.
Scales Of Justice remains the poster boy for the Hammonds
"I know the physique of the horse quite well and the family and what to look for and to me he looked like he still had improvement in him in the mounting yard," he said. "To have done what he did yesterday, I think he's got him back."
"I just hope he hasn't blown himself out on that first run. I guess time will tell, but it was a pretty convincing win."
