Bang! Debutant Filly LEARNING TO FLY (2yo JUSTIFY x ENNIS HILL (by FASTNET ROCK) became the first Australian 2yo WINNER and more importantly, a sizzling Stakes Winner in Class Record Time for Coolmore's Undefeated USA Triple Crown winner JUSTIFY (USA) and put herself in sharp focus, and equal second favourite, for the Gr1 Golden Slipper picture with a courageous performance on debut in Saturday's Group 3 Widden Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill.
Learning To Fly has an exciting future
For Learning To Fly - this Gr3 Widden Stakes proved the ideal launching pad for her career, scoring a tenacious victory in what was one of the most impressive 2YO displays of the season so far.
The extraordinarily valuable filly – by Coolmore’s USA Triple Crown winner Justify out of Gr3 winning juvenile Ennis Hill – is raced by some of the industry’s leading figures including Tom Magnier of Coolmore, Ananda Krishnan’s Kia Ora, Georg von Opel’s Westerberg International and Joe Poulin.
The Annabel Neasham trained filly had drawn awkwardly but thanks to natural speed, good tactics and an excellent ride by Chad Schofield, Learning to Fly raced outside the early leader Perfect Proposal. When Schofield asked for an effort, the filly had an instant response.
After dropping Perfect Proposal, Learning to Fly was attacked by the well-supported Steel City and Cigar Flick. She had to dig deep but was going better than anything on the line to defeat Steel City (Merchant Navy) by a half-length with a further two and a quarter lengths back to Mumbai Muse (Zoustar), who got over the top of a weakening Cigar Flick (Churchill) for third.
Annabel Neasham said the Justify filly had met her expectations.
“I am excited and relieved at the same time. She was brilliant,” Neasham said.
“She floated in front, and I thought the other horse was going to get her, but she dug deep first up. To do that, she showed a lot more early speed than I expected. Chad did a great job of getting her in that spot. She is very exciting.”
Learning To Fly looks the part
“We’ve always had a really good opinion of her, but you never know quite how good they are until you see them come and do it in the afternoon. We think she is quite special. To do it in the Coolmore colours is very exciting, and Kia Ora, as well an important ownership group. Grateful for their support with such a valuable filly.
“She is an Inglis horse, so we could go to the Millennium in a fortnight. Obviously, the Golden Slipper is the real aim, but that will be her Grand Final. We’ll get her home, see how she is and talk to the team.”
"I think this filly could be different gravy.'' Neasham said.
Winning hoop Chad Schofield didn’t anticipate Learning To Fly settling so close to the speed in the 1100m event and said she was a class above her rivals.
"She is a very nice filly, I've ridden her all the way through for two preparations and always liked her,'' Schofield said.
"We've always trained her to follow and chase but today with the track the way it is playing and a little bit of an awkward draw, we ended up outside the leader which we didn't plan.
"But she just put herself there for me like good horses do. She hit the front easily and then was waiting for them. The more she felt them come to her, the more she gave me."
TAB fixed odds price assessors were also impressed by Learning To Fly's debut with the filly firming from $21 to $8 equal second favouritism with Red Resistance for the Golden Slipper. King's Gambit remains is at the top of betting at $6.
Coolmore is offering a new Ferrari to the owners of the first Group 1 winner sired by Justify and they might end up having to give the car to themselves if Learning To Fly trains on and wins the $5m Golden Slipper at Rosehill on March 18.
A $900,000 purchase for Kia Ora Stud from the Coolmore Stud draft at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Learning to Fly is the second foal of Fastnet Rock's Group 3 MRC Chairman's Stakes winner Ennis Hill. Coolmore retained an interest and Learning To Fly sports Coolmore’s all-navy silks.
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, Acrobat, and the stakes-placed Memphis Rock.
Lake Geneva won the Listed MVRC William Crockett Stakes and placed in the Golden Slipper and Blue Diamond.
Acrobat won the Inglis Nursery (RL) at his only start before retiring to Coolmore, where he covered 188 mares in his first season last spring.
After foaling an I Am Invincible filly in October, Ennis Hill was covered by Snitzel.
Ennis Hill has a Pierro filly (lot 117) in the Coolmore Stud draft at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
JUSTIFY at stud
Justify (USA) shuttled to Australia for three seasons before being considered too valuable in the Northern Hemisphere to keep risking on shuttle duties.
SCAT DADDY
The Undefeated JUSTIFY is by Sensational Speed Influence Sire - SCAT DADDY had instant success in the Northern Hemisphere where he had unbelievable success with his first crop.
He finished third in the Northern Hemisphere First Crop Sires Premiership by Earnings, but it was his ability to sire Stakes Horses that was phenomenal.
He sired 12 Stakes Horses in his first crop up North, 6 STAKES WINNERS, 4 STAKES PLACED and 2 STAKES PERFORMERS (4th), including 4 Group Stakes Winners.
FACT: No other juvenile sire had more!
He finished the season with an incredible strike rate of:
8.5% STAKES WINNERS to RUNNERS
20.7% STAKES WINNERS to WINNERS
40.6% BLACK-TYPE HORSES to WINNERS!!!
Overall, he sired 29 Winners / 71 Runners as 2yo’s in the Northern Hemisphere at a strike rate of 40.8%.
Such was the demand around the world for his first crop yearlings at the sales, his Progeny ran & Earned Prizemoney in 6 Different Countries / Winning in 5 Countries: USA, JAPAN, IRELAND, FRANCE, SAUDI ARABIA.
In the Southern Hemisphere – His First Crop are current 2yo’s in Australia where he is the sire of 4 Runners and $136,400 in Earnings:
1 Winner – LEARNING TO FLY (Rosehill), Gr3 Winner of the Widden Stakes on debut ($110,000)
1 Second – Air Assault (Adelaide), on debut ($15,925)
1 Fourth – Just Glamourous (W. Farm) on debut, (7th Rosehill Widden S., Gr.3) ($6,975)
1 Unplaced – Just Gisella (8th Randwick Gimcrack S., Gr.3) on debut ($3,500)
TOTAL STATS: 28/1/23
Starters Wnrs Wins Placed SW GW SH Earn
81 32 40 56 7 5 13 +$4.2m
per Starters 40% 8.6% 6.2% 16.1% $51,091
per Winners 1.25 22% 15.6% 40.6%
NOTE All 13 of his Stakes Horses are Winners 13/32 =
40.6% Black-Type Horses to Winners!
Leading Progeny
LEARNING TO FLY (20f, Fastnet Rock, Stravinsky). Winner at 1200m, $110,000, 1st Widden S., Gr.3
STATUETTE (20f, Pivotal, Sadler's Wells). 2 wins from 1154m to 1207m, A$123,788, 1st Curragh Airlie Stud S., Gr.2
CHAMPIONS DREAM (20c, Tapit, Menifee). 2 wins from 1400m to 1600m, A$256,546, 1st Aqueduct Nashua S., Gr.3, 2nd Tampa Bay Downs Pasco S., L
JUST CINDY (20f, Proud Citizen, Menifee). 2 wins from 1100m to 1200m, A$251,268, 1st Saratoga Schuylerville S., Gr.3
ASPEN GROVE (20f, More Than Ready, Street Cry). Winner at 1609m, A$57,874, 1st Curragh Flame of Tara S., Gr.3
JUSTIQUE (20f, Bernardini, Carson City). 2 wins from 1100m to 1400m, A$195,684, 1st Del Mar Desi Arnaz S., L, 3rd Santa Anita Chandelier S., Gr.2
JUSTA WARRIOR (20f, Bernardini, Carson City). 2 wins from 1100m to 1400m, A$162,445, 1st Ellis Park Ellis Park Debutante S., L
Prove Right (20c, Harlan's Holiday, Banker's Gold). 2 wins at 1100m, A$221,673, 3rd Aqueduct Nashua S., Gr.3
Verifying (20c, Repent, Tour d'Or). 2 wins from 1200m to 1600m, A$390,238, 2nd Belmont Champagne S., Gr.1
Tahoma (20c, Rahy, Danehill Dancer). Winner at 900m, A$86,223, 2nd Santa Anita Futurity (2YO), L
Rosie's Alibi (20f, Bernardini, Storm Cat). Winner at 1300m, A$119,398, 3rd Aqueduct Tempted S., L
Gandolfini (20c, Simon Pure, Tale of the Cat). Winner at 1600m, A$71,908, 4th Santa Anita American Pharoah S., Gr.1
Dame Kiri (20f, Galileo, Danehill Dancer). Winner at 1193m, A$24,596, 4th Curragh Flame of Tara S., Gr.3
At The Sales: MAGIC MILLIONS 2023 – JUSTIFY for a Second Crop Sire, despite at that time without a winner in the Southern Hemisphere, was in demand again finishing inside the TOP 10 by Averages.
The wraps around the industry from trainers whop have his progeny in work ensured the sires progeny were being inspected.
Now with his first winner a debutant claiming the Gr3 Widden S., and the filly is now equal second favourite for the Slipper, that looks astute buying for such quality yearlings.
Sold W/D P/I Ave Median Top Gross
Justify 10 4 1 $369,000 $230,000 $1.4m $3,690,000
The son of Scat Daddy has 12 catalogued for Easter, 9 at the Inglis Classic, and 11 at the Inglis Premier.
Dynamic Syndications / Dean Watt Bloodstock / Ciaron Maher Racing purchased a terrific Colt by JUSTIFY at the Magic Millions. Lot 206 was a Chestnut Colt from ORONTES (by Champion Sire & Champion Broodmare Sire – REDOUTE’S CHOICE).
Whilst ORONTES was Unraced, she is a three-quarter-sister to Gr1 Winner TAKEDOWN (by Stratum) 7 wins-3 in succession at 2-1100m to 1400m, $1,628,803, WATC Winterbottom S., Gr.1, ATC Premiere S., Gr.2, Shorts H., Gr.2, Schweppervescence H., Gr.3, Canberra RC Black Opal S., Gr.3, Gold Coast Guineas, Gr.3, 2d MRC Moonga S., Gr.3, BRC Fred Best Classic, Gr.3, ATC Fireball S., L, 3d ATC Arrowfield 3YO Sprint S., Gr.2, VRC Chester Manifold S., L, ATC Heritage S., L, 4th ATC Premiere S., Gr.2, Roman Consul S., Gr.2, BRC Victory S., Gr.2, ATC Show County H., Gr.3, Darby Munro S., L, SAJC Christmas H., L.
As good as the record of TAKEDOWN reads, industry participants universally agree the TAKEDOWN should have achieved significantly more Gr1 success in Sydney which would have placed him at the pinnacle of his foal crop peers.
Our Colt’s 2nd Dam is Stakes Placed APAMEA, by Zafonic. 2 wins at 1500m, 1600m, SAJC Neil Sachse Foundation H., 2d Maisons-Laffitte Prix Prestige, 3d Maisons-Laffitte Prix Ronde de Nuit, L, 4th Chantilly Prix Sigy, L.
Whilst his 3rd Dam is Stakes Winner ANGELINA BALLERINA, by Nureyev. 3 wins-1 at 2-at 6f, Newbury Rose Bowl S., L, 2d California Oaks, L, 3d Phoenix Park Debutante S., Gr.3, 4th Hollywood Park Silver Belles H., Gr.2.
Typical of high-quality yearlings, you must bid up to own them.
Last year Team DYNAMIC were very bullish on JUSTIFY as a first crop sire and put our money where our mouth was buying 4 of his yearlings. Since then he has had a belter of a year in the Northern hemisphere and what each of our 4 yearlings have shown us in early training he will make it here in Australia as well. So we were keen to go back to the well so to speak, and buy another JUSTIFY this year.
We have 2 with CIARON MAHER; 1 With RICHARD & WILL FREEDMAN and 1 with ANNABEL NEASHAM
Each of our trainers like what they have from us but Ciaron is really hot on our 2: ex Savapinski & ex Tingu.
So knowing this in advance we teamed up and worked in conjunction with CIARON MAHER, to identify this colt as the most athletic, and potential later 2yo type by JUSTIFY that would develop into a cracking sort as a 3yo, that we inspected at the sale, that could be in our price range. The others we felt would be later 3yo types. The only other Justify that qualified for us and that we both wanted, and we felt could also do the job and was our second choice which sold 20 lots later for $460,000.
There is no doubt in our mind that JUSTIFY will work well in Australia with Danehill line mares, and the best of Danehill’s sons, grandsons and great grandsons is Champion Broodmare Sire REDOUTE’S CHOICE. It is no coincidence that LEARNING TO FLY is from a broodmare by another champion son of Danehill being - FASTNET ROCK.
JUSTIFY had stood for $60,000 + GST Service Fee in 2020, the year of conception, and our colt was rated a 3.5 to 4 times Service Fee Colt. That valued him for us between $210,000 to $240,000 and we saw the Hammer Fall at $200,000 + GST.
Lot 206 - Justify (USA) x Orontes from Dynamic Syndications on Vimeo.
Lot 206 - Justify Colt with Ciaron Maher Racing from Dynamic Syndications on Vimeo.
We truly feel we got a bit lucky as he was the first of the correct JUSTIFY yearlings to sell so the market was unsure where they should be valued which helped us. No doubt had the colt been sold later in the sale we would not be the owners as her would have made significantly more.
To find out more before we go to market with our JUSTIFY x ORONTES Colt give ADAM WATT a call on 02 9540 1511 or 0409 464 378 and have a chat.