A day after a half-sister to Learning To Fly topped the opening session at this year’s Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, Tom Magnier revealed that Coolmore’s valuable daughter of Justify was unlikely to race again this year.
Learning To Fly suffered a leg injury in a scrimmage in last month’s Golden Slipper, which resulted in jockey Chad Schofield being dislodged from the $6.50 second favourite, and spent a couple of weeks at the Randwick Equine Centre.
Learning To Fly has since returned to Coolmore’s Hunter Valley farm but has a lengthy period of recuperation ahead.
“She got quite badly injured that day and she’s been recuperating at Randwick Equine, where they’ve done a good job and she’s just arrived back to the farm,” Magnier said.
“She’s got a lot of rehabilitating to do, so I’m not sure whether we’ll see her in the spring or not yet, but it looks unlikely.”
Magnier expressed a desire to see Learning To Fly given her chance to return in the second half of her three-year-old season.
“I’d say we’ll see her (at he races) again,” he said of the Annabel Neasham-trained filly.
“The team at home, they did a great job getting her ready to be a racehorse and now they’ll just nurse her back and she’ll tell us what she wants.
“It was a pretty serious injury and credit to the team at Randwick Equine, they did a great job, but she’s got a long road ahead and it would be great to see her back at the races.”
The Golden Slipper was the first race Learning To Fly contested that she did not win with her three earlier starts resulting in victories in the Group 3 Widden Stakes, $2 million Inglis Nursery and Group 2 Reisling Stakes.
Her talent was a key factor in the third foal from her dam, Fastnet Rock mare Ennis Hill, realising $1.75 million on Day 1 at the Easter Sale.
The filly, by Pierro, was knocked down to bloodstock agent Michael Wallace on behalf of Ghandarvi Racing with Coolmore to retain a share.
Magnier and his colts syndicate also spent up early on Tuesday’s second day, paying $1.5 million for a colt by Snitzel – sire of their Golden Slipper winner Shinzo – out of the Group 3-winning North American mare Ms Bad Behaviour, a daughter of Blame.
