Latest News

By Ray Hickson

Trainer Annabel Neasham has the big picture in mind – that being next month’s Golden Slipper – with exciting filly Learning To Fly and that’s why a wide barrier isn’t deterring her from taking on Saturday’s $2m Inglis Millennium (1100m) at Royal Randwick.

Trainer Annabel Neasham (Pic: Grant Guy)

It did come as something of a rude shock to Neasham when the impressive debut Widden Stakes winner, and current Golden Slipper favourite, had 19 alongside her name when the barriers were released.

But she said the race is far too important, not only from a prizemoney perspective, to her plans to deviate.

“You can’t always draw well,’’ Neasham said.

“Often us trainers scratch from wide draws but when you’re on a program towards a grand final it does mess up your plans a bit.

“Sometimes you’ve just got to run them from those draws and sometimes it works out.

“We’re hopeful that she’s going to be a Golden Slipper filly and that’s really going to be our grand final but we’d love to win this race as well.

“We’ll be there trying to win it but it’s a nice stepping stone.”

After a slight drift when the field was released Learning To Fly actually firmed in betting to be $2.80 with TAB on Thursday which is an indication of the market’s view of her talent.

Neasham said given the track configurations she prefers a wide draw at Randwick to one at Rosehill so that’s some comfort and she has that natural improvement from her debut win two weeks ago where she fended off a race fit Steel City.

That filly had mixed it with Canonbury winner Red Resistance at her own debut so the form is standing up around her.

“She’s going to need plenty of luck but I’ve got a lot of confidence in the filly, I still wouldn’t swap her for anything in the race,’’ she said.

“She oozes class and I just hope we can see that again on Saturday.

“She was challenged by a fit horse (on debut) that had a run.

“It looked like she was going away again on the line so I think she’s got loads of improvement but from that draw she will need to keep taking steps forward because it’s a good race.”

While all the focus has been on Learning To Fly, Neasham said stablemate Dorothy Gail will be advantaged by a kind draw.

The Capitalist filly was placed on debut at Randwick a week before Christmas, in a race run in trying conditions, before cruising away with a country maiden six weeks later.

“She won that race at Scone easily which was good to see and that’s all we could ask her to do,’’ Neasham said.

“She’s drawn really well and often in these races it’s the horse that get the right run that ends up on top and you’d like to think from that draw she’ll have every possible chance.”

The Group 1 Surround Stakes is in Neasham’s sights with Sunshine In Paris if the three-year-old can measure up, as she expects, in the Group 2 $250,000 TAB Light Fingers Stakes (1200m).

Although she’s taking on the likes of Group 1 winners In Secret, Fireburn, Madame Pommery and Sheeza Belter it will tell Neasham a lot, and very quickly, about where she stands.

Learning To Fly wins at Rosehill on January 28

The filly last raced on Christmas Eve where she carried just 50kg to a dazzling win against older horses and that win has been respected as she sits ahead of all those Group 1 winners except favourite In Secret in the market.

“She’s low flying going into this race, I think she is a massive chance,’’ Neasham said.

“I just love what she did against the older horses in her win at Randwick. Not many three-year-old fillies would win like that.

“We just pulled up after her win at Randwick and I just had the Surround Stakes in my mind and we worked backwards from that.

“She had a couple of weeks in the paddock to freshen up and that one trial. She will run well and I think when she stretches out to 1400m we will really see her come into her own.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Randwick meeting