Justify Filly wins $2million Inglis Millennium

Tara Madgwick - Saturday February 11

Coolmore based Triple Crown winner Justify (USA) has a genuine superstar in his first crop of Australian two year-olds with the Annabel Neasham trained filly Learning to Fly scoring an outstanding win in the $2million Inglis Millennium (1100m) at Randwick on Saturday.

LEarning to Fly overcomes adversity to win the Inglis Millennium - image Steve Hart

Learning to Fly made a winning debut in the Group III ATC Widden Stakes last month and made it two wins in as many starts when overcoming an outside gate to score a long neck win over I Am Invincible fillies Blanc de Blanc and Kundalini.

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In contrast to her previous win when she was ridden forward, this time Chad Schofield allowed the glamour filly to settle back in the field and she let down with a powerful finish to zoom past her rivals and take the lucrative prize.

The race was marred by a nasty fall in the straight when Annabel Neasham’s other runner Dorothy Gail went down leaving her rider Tom Marquand with a broken collar bone.

Neasham had mixed emotions with the welfare of Marquand and Dorothy Gail coming ahead of any celebration for the winner.

Chad Schofield is full of praise for Learning to Fly, having ridden her in both of her wins which have netted connections over $1.2million in prizemoney.

“She’s a filly I’ve loved since the first day I sat on her and I knew she was a top class horse,” said Scofield.

“Today we had a wide run and at the top of the straight I though we could run into third or fourth because I had so much work to do, but she just kept picking up and picking up. She’s got a dynamic turn of foot as we saw today.

“She’s a beautiful horse you can do anything with. The world is her oyster.”

Learning to Fly where the Millennium rug - image Steve Hart

Learning to Fly was a $900,000 Inglis Easter purchase for Kia Ora Stud from the Coolmore draft and runs for a partnership involving both Kia Ora and Coolmore.

Learning to Fly was foaled and raised at Coolmore and is the second foal and first winner from Fastnet Rock’s Group III winning daughter Ennis Hill, who was named by James Bester after British athlete Jessica Ennis Hill, winner of the gold medal in Heptathlon at the London Olympic Games.

Ennis Hill is a sister to Lake Geneva, who  won the Listed MVRC William Crockett Stakes and placed in the Golden Slipper and Blue Diamond as well as Acrobat, who won the Inglis Nursery (RL) at his only start.

Acrobat retired to stand his first season at Coolmore last spring and covered 188 mares.

Ennis Hill has a Pierro filly in the Coolmore Stud draft at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. (lot 117).

Ennis Hill has an I Am Invincible filly to follow and was covered by Snitzel last spring.

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Race Result - Inglis Millennium (RL) RL 1100m

Randwick Track: Good(4) Time: 1:04.27
1
Learning To Fly
- 2f Justify (USA) x Ennis Hill (AUS) (Fastnet Rock (AUS))
Tnr: Annabel Neasham Rdr: C Schofield 54.5
Justify
2
0.2
Blanc De Blanc
- 2f I Am Invincible (AUS) x Another Sunday (AUS) (Redoute's Choice (AUS))
Tnr: Michael Freedman Rdr: J B Mc Donald 55
I Am Invincible
3
1.0
Kundalini
- 2f I Am Invincible (AUS) x Ruud Awakening (AUS) (Bernardini (USA))
Tnr: C Maher & D Eustace Rdr: J R Collett 54.5
I Am Invincible
4
1.4
Lazzago
- 2f Capitalist (AUS) x Lake Como (NZ) (Pins (AUS))
Tnr: C J Waller Rdr: W Pike 54.5
5
1.6
Facile
- 2f Trapeze Artist (AUS) x I Like It Easy (AUS) (Pierro (AUS))
Tnr: G Ryan & S Alexiou Rdr: B Avdulla 54.5
6
1.7
Hellish
- 2c Hellbent (AUS) x Andromache (NZ) (Charge Forward (AUS))
Tnr: D T O'Brien Rdr: J Parr 56.5
7
2.1
Ganbare
- 2c Maurice (JPN) x Mardi (AUS) (Redoute's Choice (AUS))
Tnr: G Waterhouse & A Bott Rdr: N Rawiller 56.5
8
2.4
Mexico
- 2c Capitalist (AUS) x One More Tequila (AUS) (Onemorenomore (AUS))
Tnr: Michael Freedman Rdr: B Prebble 56.5
9
2.7
Saltaire
- 2f Star Turn (AUS) x Testa Sarah (AUS) (Testa Rossa (AUS))
Tnr: J A O'Shea Rdr: K Mc Evoy 54.5
10
2.8
Imminance
- 2f Impending (AUS) x Gin Lizzie (AUS) (Flying Spur (AUS))
Tnr: Aaron Laing Rdr: S Clipperton 54.5
11
5.3
Arkansaw Kid
- 2c Harry Angel (IRE) x Florabella (AUS) (Exceed And Excel (AUS))
Tnr: Ben & J D Hayes Rdr: Rachel King 56.5
12
6.2
The Player
- 2c Winning Rupert (AUS) x Galanteada (CHI) (Hussonet (USA))
Tnr: Chris Munce Rdr: Brock Ryan 56.5
13
6.4
Celui
- 2c Toronado (IRE) x Momma's Snitzel (AUS) (Snitzel (AUS))
Tnr: Brent Stanley Rdr: Jett Stanley 56.5
14
8.2
Perfect Proposal
- 2f Russian Revolution (AUS) x Perfect Persuasion (AUS) (Encosta De Lago (AUS))
Tnr: G Waterhouse & A Bott Rdr: Regan Bayliss 54.5
15
25.6
Coincide
- 2c Invader (AUS) x Conversely (IRE) (Shamardal (USA))
Tnr: G Waterhouse & A Bott Rdr: Tim Clark 56.5
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