Justify Filly Stays Undefeated in Australia
Justify’s daughter Learning to Fly (2f Justify x Ennis Hill, by Fastnet Rock) continued to help her sire make a big splash in Australia on Saturday when she jumped to Grade I Golden Slipper favoritism after winning the $2 million Inglis Millennium.
Returning to the races two weeks after breaking her maiden in the Grade III Widden Stakes on debut, the filly stayed at the same 5 ½ furlong distance she ran at last out at Rosehill. Overcoming a wide gate in this Randwick race, she was allowed to sit farther back in the field and make a late run at the leaders.
That late run saw the filly score by a long neck against the boys. Her victory impressed jockey Chad Schofield, who was a little worried about the amount of work she had ahead of her at the top of the stretch.
“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.”
Trained by Annabel Neasham, the A$900,000 yearling purchase by Kia Ora from the Coolmore draft has now netted nearly A$1.3 million in prize money for an ownership group that includes Kia Ora Stud, Coolmore, Westerberg, and J Poulin.
"She is very special… he was oozing confidence, Chad, before the race. He was very calm. He's done a lot of work with the filly and I'm just so grateful to be training a filly for Coolmore and their partners and Kia Ora. They're such great people and to entrust me with this filly that is so well bred is amazing and it's good to get the job done.I have to pinch myself a little bit. I'm almost speechless to win a big race like that in those colours, it's very special," Neasham said.
She is the second foal out of Grade III winner Ennis Hill, who is a sister to Listed MVRC William Crockett Stakes winner and Golden Slipper and Blue Diamond placer Lake Geneva and to Coolmore stallion Acrobat. Ennis Hill’s yearling Pierro filly is set to go through the ring at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale this year.
Undefeated Triple Crown winner Justify continues to impress around the world with winners in six countries including seven stakes winners and 12 stakes performers.