Take-off for Justify at Rosehill with Learning To Fly

Justify, Coolmore’s most high-profile shuttle stallion to Australia in a generation, broke through for a milestone first stakes winner in the southern hemisphere as Learning To Fly claimed an authoritative victory in the Group 3 Widden Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday. 

Learning To Fly also became the sire’s first winner in Australia, from four runners, and seventh individual stakes winner overall. 

Trained by Annabel Neasham, the filly tracked the leader before hitting the front with more than 300 metres to run and showed a tenacity to hold off all challengers and win by a half-length.

Steel City, a daughter of fellow Coolmore sire Merchant Navy, finished second, while Mumbai Muse (by I Am Invincible) finished two and three-quarter lengths from the winner in third, with Cigar Flick (Churchill) fourth, as Coolmore also celebrated the first four home in the race having been born and raised on their farm. 

Coolmore invested heavily in bloodstock to support the US Triple Crown winner, purchasing in Group 1-winning mares such as Srikandi, bought for A$2 million, Global Glamour and Savvy Coup, who were sent to Justify in the stallion’s first or second season in the covering barn. 

Tom Magnier sounded hopeful that Justify would return to shuttling to Australia Credit: Mark Evans

The stud’s Australia principal Tom Magnier praised the commitment and belief towards Justify of the Coolmore team, including his father John, in the wake of the result. 

“Around the world there’s been a huge investment in Justify and I have to give credit to Dad, Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor, and everybody connected with Justify,” Magnier told ANZ Bloodstock News. 

“Dad has been behind this horse from day one. We’ve gone out there and we’ve bought some good mares to go to him with the belief we had in the stallion. 

“She’s a really special filly and Annabel has done a great job. She has highlighted this horse from day dot. There’s a great partnership in the whole family and I’m delighted for Georg [Von Opel, owner] and Joe [Poulin, owner], who have come in on this filly who looks like she has a lot of ability.

“It’s a great thrill for me and my whole family that the first four horses home were all bred on the farm. There’s some wonderful clients there and I’m just delighted.”

An A$900,000 Inglis Easter yearling purchase for Kia Ora Stud, Learning To Fly is out of two-year-old Group 3 winner Ennis Hill, herself bred by Coolmore being out of their Reisling Stakes winner Hips Don’t Lie, who also produced the Listed winner and Coolmore stallion Acrobat.

Ennis Hill has a yearling Pierro filly who is consigned for the Inglis Easter yearling sale in March, as well as a filly foal by I Am Invincible. She was covered by Snitzel last year. 

Learning To Fly entered yesterday’s race off the back off a trial win at Warwick Farm on January 16, in which she came home ahead of Gimcrack Stakes runner-up Perfect Proposal.

“I’m excited and relieved at the same time. She was brilliant," Neasham said. 

"She floated in front and I thought the other horse [Steel City] was going to get her but she dug deep. 

"Around the world there’s been a huge investment in Justify."Credit: Michele MacDonald

"We've always had a really good opinion of her, but until you see them come and do it in the afternoons, you never know quite how good they are. 

"We think she is quite special and to do it in the Coolmore colours is very exciting, and [for] Kia Ora as well." 

With victory Learning To Fly announced herself as a potential Golden Slipper contender, a race which should she win would also define the destination of the high-profile Ferrari that was tantalisingly offered as a prize to the connections of a horse by Justify to who would be the first to win one of a list of selected races.

The filly was cut with bookmakers to become the A$6 second favourite behind King’s Gambit, who second in the Canonbury Stakes on the same card, in the market for the Golden Slipper.

Justify, who did not return to Australia for covering duties last year when given a hiatus from shuttling by Coolmore, has produced 234 live foals in the southern hemisphere, with buyers going to A$1 million for his first-crop progeny, a figure beaten by his second-crop colt out of three-time Group 1 winner Sunlight that sold for A$1.4 million to Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale earlier this month. 

“I think what the stallion is going to do down here over the next couple of years with the mares that he’s covered and the terrific support he has from the best breeders in the country, it’s just going to shine through,” Magnier added.

“The support that breeders gave Justify was tremendous, but the biggest thing is the belief Coolmore has in Justify since the day Dad bought him.”

When asked if Magnier would be seeking a return to Australia for Justify later this year, Magnier said: “You’ll know what I’ll be trying to do.”