Tickle the Ivories is an unraced daughter of the undefeated Triple Crown winner Justify, the runaway leading juvenile sire of 2023 by all black-type metrics, including no fewer than four G1 winning 2YOs (namely Eclipse Champion Just F Y I, European champions City of Troy and Ramatuelle, and BC Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Hard To Justify). He was also the leading first crop sire in Australia after shuttling there, and his subsequent seasons have included European classic winners Ruling Court (2,000 Guineas) and Scandinavia (St. Leger) and multiple G1W Opera Singer. Justify’s other US foals include the G1W dirt sprinter Arabian Lion.
Tickle the Ivories was bought for $90,000 at the ’25 Keeneland November Sale carrying her first foal, on a February 24th cover, by the leading sire Munnings. A $1.7 million 2YO in-training purchase by Demi O’Byrne, Munnings was a G2W for Todd Pletcher during his racing days, and is now the sire of 85 BTWs in his career as a stallion. His best include G1Ws Jack Christopher, I’m a Chatterbox, Kimari, Eda, El Deal, Howard Wolowitz, and his 2026 2YO crop was conceived off a $100k stud fee. The foal from this mating will be bred on the same cross as Eclipse Champion and G1 BC Sprint winner Straight No Chaser.