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Justify to return to Australia

3 minute read

US Triple Crown winner to return to Australia after missing 2022 breeding season.

LEARNING TO FLY winning the Inglis Millennium. Picture: Martin King / Sportpix

Justify will return to the Hunter Valley later this year with Coolmore keen to cash in on the success of Learning To Fly, who won Saturday's $2 million Inglis Millennium at Randwick on Saturday.

Learning To Fly, who is out of Ennis Hill and is part-owned by Coolmore, made it back-to-back wins to start her career and is now favourite for this year's $5 million Group 1 Golden Slipper.

She is a member of Justify's first Australian crop, which were conceived in 2019 when he covered 149 mares at a private fee.

The US Triple Crown-winning son of Scat Daddy covered 142 mares at $66,000 and 82 mares at $55,000 the following two seasons, but did not return last year.

Coolmore's Tom Magnier confirmed after Learning To Fly's win on Saturday, which followed a Group 3 Widden Stakes win on debut, that Justify would return for the 2023 breeding season.

"We have said for a long time we believed in Justify," he said.

"He is doing it in the northern hemisphere, now we have the best two-year-old in the southern hemisphere.

"He is fully booked in America and we will bring him back down (to Australia) this year.

"You are about to see a very special stallion rise up the ranks in Australia."

Learning To Fly's deeds have Justify sitting atop the first season sires premiership table despite having had just four individual starters.