It’s onto the Inglis Millennium Day at Royal Randwick with the Inglis Sale graduate Learning To Fly being $2.50 favourite for the $2m Inglis Millennium on winning the Widden Stakes.
That says it all, with the partnership of Royal Randwick, William Inglis & Son and Widden Stud as it’s being a longstanding friendship in Sydney Racing, and now with the Australian Turf Club.
With the first Inglis Millennium run in 2019, and its roots as the Inglis Classic, it was John Inglis of William Inglis and Ray Alexander, Australian Jockey Club who had the race first run in 1998.
Always staged with the now Classic Yearling Sale, the Inglis Millennium Day began as the Festival Sale Breeders’ Day in 1995, with the Fillies & Mares event now being the Gr2 Hot Danish Stakes.
With the Inglis Millennium being head of the Inglis Race Series, it’s Learning To Fly who was a $900,000 graduate of the Australian Easter Yearling Sale, with her Pierro half-sister to sell at Easter.
Named in recognition of the famous Widden Stud, the Widden Stakes of 1100m is for 2yo fillies first run in 1943 at Randwick, with Widden Stud being a formed sponsor of the Widden Stakes.
Today Widden Stud principal Antony Thompson is Chairman of Aushorse, and Arthur Inglis, the Inglis Vice Chairman and Strategic Development, being a former Board Member of Racing NSW.
Reg Inglis and his late uncle John Inglis are ATC Life Members, with Reg Inglis, Frank and Fred Thompson being AJC Committee Members, and Reg being a breeding advisor for In Her Time.
Again, its Destination NSW who know what Sydney Racing and the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival is all about, having been launched at the Tourism NSW Queens Birthday race meeting in 1998.
Three months later Destination NSW hosted the highly successful Tourism NSW Metropolitan Day, and again in 1999, flowing onto Regional NSW with Gundagai staging the Snake Gully Cup.
In becoming the nucleus of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and lifting China to be our chief in-bound tourist nation pre-COVID, its with Racing NSW that sees New South Wales as ‘highly active.’
In fact, it’s this correspondent as former AJC Sponsorship Manager, who in a moving moment at Royal Randwick, had raceday sponsor John O’Toole emotionally say “it’s the friendship we have.”
As the Australian Turf Club says, ‘in being at the forefront of Sydney’s social scene for over a century and a half because we are where people come to experience the city at its most sublime.’
As the ATC Official Timekeeper and Watch Partner, the Longines Golden Slipper Carnival begins on 11 March with Chandon Ladies Day, and on 18 March the Longines Golden Slipper is run on Longines Golden Slipper Day at Rosehill Gardens.
Onto Royal Randwick for The Star Championships and its the $5m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes run on 8 April, Day 2 of The Star Championships – Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes Day.
With The Star being the Club’s Official Entertainment Partner, they have The Star Doncaster Mile on Day 1 of The Star Championships and The Star Australian Oaks on Day 2, Saturday 8 April.
Schweppes have the Schweppes Sydney Cup and Chairmans Quality on both days of The Star Championships, and the Schweppes All Aged Stakes on Schweppes All Aged Stakes Day.
Of course, there’s the Moet & Chandon Champagne Stakes, Inglis Sires, Coolmore Classic, Vinery Stud Stakes, The Agency George Ryder Stakes, Ranvet Stakes and the Furphy Canterbury Stakes.
In Sydney hosting 10 of world’s 100 richest races including The $15m TAB Everest, it’s Brand Alignment and Global Exposure when aligned to beauty, speed, power, grace, style and prestige.
When attracting over 500,000 raceday patrons each year, it’s engaging with the audience, building relationships, sampling and promotions, world-class hospitality, digital connections, four venues and embracing the Spirit of Sydney.
