The door is open for the $500,000 Inglis Nursery winning 2yo Accession to press his claim for the $3m Inglis Triple Crown in winning the second leg, the $2m 2019 Inglis Millennium at Warwick Farm on Saturday 9 February.
The Chris Waller trained Accessions now has the ideal record of two wins and a second from three starts, and is coming off a victory in the Rosehill Countdown to Golden Slipper Sprint of 1100m, following a five-week freshen.
Ridden by champion jockey James McDonald, Accession settled behind the pace, before unleashing a powerful finish on entering the home straight. In December he won the $500,000 Inglis Nursery of 1000m at Royal Randwick in similar fashion, when ridden by Hugh Bowman.
A $300,000 Australian Easter Yearling Sale purchase for Star Thoroughbreds and Chris Waller Racing, from the Widden Stud draft, Accession is the first stakes winner for outstanding first season sire Brazen Beau whose second crop yearlings averaged $220,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
The winner of the Newmarket Handicap and Coolmore Stud Stakes, Brazen Beau is from the first crop of outstanding sire I Am Invincible, with Accession being from the More Than Ready mare Ready As Elle, a half-sister to the Champion Singapore Sprinter in Emperor Max.
The filly Espaaniyah is still on track for the Inglis Millennium despite an unplaced finish, when leading as the $3.30 favourite in the Australian Turf Club Handicap of 1000m. Returning from a 11-week let-up she had originally taken out the $500,000 Inglis Banner 1000m at Moonee Valley on debut.
Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, she is a $750,000 purchase at the Australian Easter Yearling Sale from Tyreel Stud, being from the stakes-placed winner Catalonia. Her sire, the Magic Millions Yearling Sale topper I Am Invincible, had his Oakleigh Girl colt as the $1.7m sale top lot.
Also, highly fancied for the 2019 Inglis Millennium is the recent Randwick Australia Day winner Dawn Passage, a son of English 2000 Guineas winner Dawn Approach, the Blue Diamond Fillies Preview winner Catch Me and I Am Immortal, the Blue Diamond C&G Preview winner, both by I Am Invincible.
In announcing the $2m Inglis Millennium Mark Webster, the Inglis Managing Director, stated ‘the Inglis Millennium will provide our clients with another great lead-up option into the Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper. The Inglis Nursery has proven in recent years with She Will Reign, Extreme Choice and Mossfun winning the Nursery on the way to Diamond or Slipper glory.’
The 2019 Inglis Millennium of 1200m is restricted to 2yo’s nominated to the Inglis Race Series, that were offered for sale at any Inglis Yearling Sale. A Restricted Listed event at set weights with colts and geldings carrying 56.5kgs and fillies 54.5kgs. Apprentices cannot claim.
It carries $2m total prize money with winning connections receiving $1.6m prize money. Prizemoney in paid down to 10th placing, with the Equine Welfare and Jockey Welfare Fund’s each receiving $20,000. A $77,000 acceptance and scratching fee applies.
The third leg of the $3m Inglis Triple Crown concludes with the running of the $1m Inglis Sires Produce Stakes for 2yo’s over 1400m at The Championships, Royal Randwick on 6 April 2019. The 2019 Inglis Race Series is now worth $8 million.
The Henry Dwyer trained Tropezina is definitely on target for the $1m 2019 Inglis Sprint for 3yo’s over 1000m, and run in conjunction with the Inglis Millennium, having won the $250,000 Inglis Dash at Flemington, ridden by Ben Melham and paying $7.50.
A 3yo daughter of Darley Kelvinside’s Epaulette, Tropezina now has three wins from five starts, and was a $65,000 buy by James Bester and Stuart Webb at the Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, from Monarch Stud. Second was Beerz With Clint, by Written Tycoon, with the Snitzel colt Prairie Fire, third.
The Inglis Classic Race Day also has programmed the Gr2 Breeders Classic of 1200m for mares 4yo and upwards at set weights, the Gr3 Eskimo Prince Stakes of 1200m at set weights and open to all ages, and the listed Lonhro Plate of 1100m for 2yo’s also at set weights.
By Bernard Kenny