Annabel Neasham has labelled Learning To Fly a “special” filly after she lived up to her barrier trial hype with a classy victory in the Listed Widden Stakes at Rosehill.
In doing so, the two-year-old became the first Australian winner for her sire Justify and his first stakes winner.
Learning To Fly had impressed in two trials, most recently when defeating Gimcrack Stakes placegetter Perfect Proposal, but Neasham was relieved to see her do it on race day.
“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.
“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.”
Learning To Fly ($4.20) mustered good early speed to settle second in the run, quickly putting paid to leader Perfect Proposal in the straight and showing resolve to lift again when challenged by eventual runner-up Steel City ($3.70 fav), holding her at bay by a half-length.
Mumbai Muse ($18) got back from a wide draw and found the line nicely to grab third, another 2-1/4 lengths away.
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 just put herself there for me like good horses do,” Schofield said.
“She hit the front easily and then was waiting for them. The more she felt them come to her, the more she gave me.”
Neasham was unsure of immediate plans for Learning To Fly, who is named after the Tom Petty song of the same name, but said the $2 million Inglis Millennium (1100) at Randwick in two weeks was an option.
“I’ll have to chat to the team. She is an Inglis horse so we could possibly go to the Inglis Millennium in a fortnight,” she said.
“Obviously the Golden Slipper is the real aim, that is hopefully what the grand final will be.”
Perfect Proposal disappointed after leading and beat just one rival home with jockey Tim Clark saying she ran her race in the mounting yard.
“She got too worked up pre-race,” Clark said.
Learning To Fly now shares the second line of Golden Slipper betting at $8 alongside Red Resistance who took out the Canonbury Stakes earlier on the program with the runner-up in that race, King’s Gambit, maintaining his position at the top of Slipper markets at $6.