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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Annabel Neasham will wait until comeback filly Learning To Fly has her second trial before deciding whether she has a summer cameo before being aimed at an early autumn Group 1.

Trainer Annabel Neasham (Pic: Grant Guy)

The three-year-old missed the spring when she sustained what Neasham described as a “minor injury”, but one that required a little patience, when she was almost brought down in the Golden Slipper.

She made a low key return in a barrier trial last Monday and while not asked for an effort it was more than enough for Neasham to be confident she can set her sights on the Group 1 $750,000 Surround Stakes (1400m) on March 2.

“She’s A1, she’s 100 per cent,’’ Neasham said.

“She had an injury from the Slipper, a minor injury in the pastern, but it’s completely fixed now.

“She just needed time and she’s such a valuable filly and the spring was always going to be a tight struggle to get her there.

“She’s grown three or four inches and filled out, she could be the most exciting horse in the stable I reckon.”

Neasham won the Surround last year with Sunshine In Paris who didn’t have the same profile as Learning To Fly given she didn’t race at two and won a Benchmark race on Christmas Eve to announce her arrival.

Learning To Fly won her first three starts, the Widden Stakes then the $2m Inglis Millennium and the Group 2 Reisling Stakes before starting $6.50 in the Slipper.

Like Sunshine In Paris, though, Neasham has the Group Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) in mind as her major lead up two weeks before the Group 1.

“I haven’t quite worked out how we get there yet, whether we give her a run before the Light Fingers and then back off and be ready to go,’’ she said.

"Sunshine In Paris was up and racing in November when she won it so I thought we would get her up nice and early.

"A lot of those fillies it comes up quite quickly for them if they have had an arduous spring so we are fortunate we've got a horse that's had a good break on fresh legs."

Regular jockey Chad Schofield wasn’t in the saddle in the Randwick trial so Heavelon Van Der Hoven deputised in the 900m gallop – something Neasham said he was rapt about.

She was beaten about four lengths by Time To Boogie in a trial where she showed some early speed.

“We just had the handbrake on,’’ Neasham said.

“Chad’s away at Regan’s (Bayliss) wedding so ‘Heavy’ rides her every day at home and he was pretty stoked to be trialling her. She’ll do a bit more in her next trial, hopefully we can get it on the course proper somewhere.”

Learning To Fly trials at Randwick on December 11

Sunshine In Paris isn’t far off coming back into work for the autumn after a minor ligament strain in the near foreleg forced her out of the TAB Everest where she was set to run in the Aquis slot.

And Neasham confirmed Zaaki will be back in the autumn at some stage with retirement not on the cards for the nine-year-old after his narrow defeat in the Group 1 Northerly Stakes in Perth.

“We’re going to carry on with him, it’s day by day, but maybe we just set our sights that little bit lower,’’ Neasham said.

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