Brilliant JUSTIFY (USA) 2YO Filly LEARNING TO FLY went to the barriers as a short priced favourite to keep her unbeaten record intact in the $300,000 ATC Reisling Stakes (1200m) Group 2 for 2yo Fillies at Randwick last Saturday, but the filly was made to work hard for victory.
Facing just three rivals, LEARNING TO FLY kicked up from her inside gate under Chad Schofield to hold Trapeze Artist filly FACILE off the fence and from that point forward these two highest quality fillies eyeballed each other to the winning post in a battle of attrition.
LEARNING TO FLY gave her heart and soul under the constant pressure of FACILE who refused to yield.
There was just a short half head between the pair when the camera flashed with the daughter of JUSTIFY taking her Unbeaten career record to three wins in as many starts, with prizemoney of $1,470,000 million.
Trainer Annabel Neasham admitted to a feeling relieved when LEARNING TO FLY held out FACILE to claim the win.
“I was a bit nervous watching that first 100m, I thought Facile was going to cross, the worst place we wanted to be was locked away. Just had to keep nudging up and I think they've run pretty quick time the first half,” she said.
"Chad (Schofield) just said she was very relaxed in front; I don't think it's necessarily her preferred place. We saw a little bit in the Widden when she hit the front, she was a bit green, but she's added another string to her bow being able to (lead).”
Facile was fifth at her previous run in the Inglis Millennium behind LEARNING TO FLY when beaten a length and a half and is clearly on the improve.
"Facile is a really good filly. I know she hasn't won, but she was very good last week. She's rock hard fit so when she was coming to us, I thought we'd have to be brave to keep our nose in front and she did just that,” Neasham added.
Chad Schofield was full of praise for LEARNING TO FLY in what evolved into a very tactical race.
"Small field is always complicated but I didn't really want to lead just because of the nature of this filly, she's very laid back and with nothing to chase down she's quite lazy. If I didn't lead, I was going to be in the box seat and that's the last place I wanted to be in a small field, so we kicked up and held the lead,” said Schofield.
"She relaxed well, and she always just had a nose on Facile (second horse) and she was never going to win by a big margin, but luckily she did enough to win."
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 from Fastnet Rock’s Group 3 winning daughter Ennis Hill.
Dynamic Syndications are delighted for our friends at Coolmore Stud with the deeds of their awesome young sire JUSTIFY (USA) who keeps delivering with his first crop in both hemispheres.
A leading player in the Northern Hemisphere last season where he was placed First by Group Winners, Second by Winners and Third by Earnings, JUSTIFY (USA) has hit the ground running in the Southern Hemisphere as well.
Here in Australia, despite the USA Triple Crown Winner not racing as a 2yo, he is the sire of Australia’s Best Two-Year-Old to date, in the Undefeated 3-time stakes winning Filly LEARNING TO FLY (Justify x Ennis Hill (by Fastnet Rock).
JUSTIFY has only had the 4 runners in Australia to date producing millionaire filly LEARNING TO FLY, along with a metropolitan runner-up Air Assault, also Warwick Farm 4th placed Just Glamourous.
In the Northern Hemisphere, he has sired 35 winners in 5 countries and now with Australia, it makes 6 countries his first crop progeny have tasted success.
The biggest statistic is that of his Freakish Figures when it comes to siring Black-Type performers.
From his 36 Individual Winners to date, he has sired 8 Stakes Winners (22.2%), 5 Stakes Placegetters (13.9%), and another 3 horses (8.3%) who have run 4th placings in Stakes Races and earned minor Black Type for their pedigree pages.
That’s 16 Black-Type Earners and they have all been race winners!
That’s 44.4% Black-Type Horses to Winners. No other stallion comes close to this result.
Simplistically when your Justify races and Wins, it’s a flick of a coin to earn black-type.
Incredibly, no one in our industry gave his first crop progeny any hope of being precocious early coming 2yo types.
Yet here he is, with the best 2yo in Australia, and positioned as Australia’s Leading First Crop Sire, with an almost unassailable lead already, running straight onto the back of his Northern Hemisphere Deeds.
He’s a freak who is uplifting his mares.
There is no doubt that his progeny will be better with time and distance, so to do what he has to date, it’s mind-blowing.
We have started the advertising campaign on Channel 7, Sky Channel & Racing.com for our colt from the Dam ORONTES (by Redoute’s Choice).
Justify x Orontes Colt - TVC from Dynamic Syndications on Vimeo.
Purchased in conjunction with CIARON MAHER Racing, Our Colt is a fantastic type with a Huge Pedigree.
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Our Colt’s Dam is ORONTES and she’s a 3/4 -Sister to Gr1 Winner TAKEDOWN – 7 wins (6 at Stakes Level).
Lot 206 - Justify (USA) x Orontes from Dynamic Syndications on Vimeo.
Lot 206 - Justify Colt with Ciaron Maher Racing from Dynamic Syndications on Vimeo.
He’s bred on the same cross as LEARNING TO FLY being by JUSTIFY from a Granddaughter of DANEHILL.
When quality matters you buy into colts bred like this because should he hit the heights on the racetrack as suspected, he’s a true Stallion Prospect.
See for yourself why the Dynamic Ciaron Maher Team love the colt in the video clips and then visit his website pages and see for yourself.
It’s no surprise demand has been strong for his second crop yearlings in the salesring.
JUSTIFY has seen 17 Yearlings sell for an average $282,941
10 Yearlings SOLD at the Magic Millions: Average $369,000; Median $230,000; Top $1,400,000
7 Yearlings SOLD at the Inglis Classic: Average $160,000, Median $150,000; Top $300,000
8 Yearlings SOLD at the Inglis Premier: Average $131,250, Median $105,000; Top $280,000
Dynamic Syndications paid $200,000 + GST for our COLT ex ORONTES (by Redoute’s Choice).
He’s a big, bold type, extremely athletic, clean on X-rays and scope.
Shares have been in demand and sales are well advanced in the colt.
Dynamic Syndications - TVC from Dynamic Syndications on Vimeo.