Tony McEvoy will get another chance to win the Golden Slipper with Inglis Millennium winner Xtravagant Star after two near misses in the world’s richest juvenile race.
Xtravagant Star remains unbeaten after winning the Inglis Millennium at Randwick. Picture: Getty Images
Exciting filly Xtravagant Star maintained her unbeaten record and gave trainer Tony McEvoy reason to believe he might finally get his hands on that elusive Golden Slipper trophy after an impressive win at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Xtravagant Star raced on the speed, forged clear and held a classy field of two-year-olds at bay to win the $2m Inglis Millennium (1100m).
McEvoy, who trains in partnership with his son Calvin, revealed his burning ambition to win a Golden Slipper after his fillies, Oohood (second) and Sunlight (third) ran the placings behind Estijaab in the world’s richest juvenile race four years ago.
“I have run second and third in a Slipper, I want to win one,’’ McEvoy said.
“I’d love to come back for that race and it is the big race, isn’t it!’’
All honours go to Xtravagant Star in the @inglis_sales Millennium! âï¸@mcevoymitchell@SchofieldChad@aus_turf_clubpic.twitter.com/KrjSJsvt1r
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) February 5, 2022
Comeback jockey Chad Schofield rode his biggest winner since returning from a seven-year Hong Kong stint when he guided Xtravagant Star ($15 into $7) to 1¾-length win from Paris Dior ($3.30 favourite) with the previously unbeaten Sejardan ($6) a half-head away third after enduring a wide run.
Xtravagant Star and Paris Dior, two of only three fillies among the 16 starters in the Inglis Millennium, were sensationally backed and duly ran the big-race quinella.
This result comes after the fillies ran top four in the Magic Millions won by Coolangatta last month.
Schofield, who was a teenage apprentice when he won the 2013 Cox Plate on Shamus Award before leaving for Hong Kong, said it had been nearly a decade since he rode in Sydney before making his comeback this summer.
His win in Xtravagant Star was a demonstration of his immense riding talent but even more satisfying for personal reasons.
“Calvin McEvoy is my best mate so that helps,’’ Schofield said.
“He has been one of my best mates for a long time and was one of my groomsman at my wedding.’’
Schofield described Xtravagant Star as a “little ripper”.
“I trialled her a couple of weeks ago and she trialled very well,’’ Schofield said.
“She knows her job, she is a little racehorse.’’
Chad Schofield scored his biggest win since returning to Australia in the Inglis Millennium. Picture: Getty Images
Xtravagant Star was so impressive her odds were slashed from $101 to $21 for $5m Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 19.
Tony McEvoy revealed he has some “beautiful decisions” to make about Xtravagant Star’s autumn race campaign.
“We can go to the (Blue) Diamond in three weeks, or we can just concentrate on the Slipper – it’s a bit hard to do both I think,’’ McEvoy said.
“I don’t think we’ll be greedy. I think we’ll target one or the other. It’s what the owners will want to do.
“As the coach, I’ve got a beautiful filly that can go wherever we want to take her and I think it will be up to them to see which way they want to go and I’ll support it.
“Today was about, are we good enough? And now we can think about what to do.’’
McEvoy purchased Xtravagant Star for $150,000 at the Melbourne Premier Sale last year and conceded he was not expecting the filly to make such an impression as a two-year-old.
“As a yearling, she had a big, powerful arse and she had great swagger. We liked her and I was a fan of Xtravagant as a racehorse,’’ the trainer said.
“She is out of a Sebring mare and her grand-dam was a champion two-year-old but I never had an intention of making her a two-year-old to be honest.
“But she has come a little bit out of left field. She has just wanted to be at the front of the bus. Everything we did, every preparation, she wanted to lead the pack so we thought we’d just go with her.”
Paris Dior, trained by Peter and Paul Snowden, drew barrier 10, got a long way back early but finished strongly to claim second.
“The barrier beat her – but what do you do,’’ Paul Snowden said.
“We just had to go too far back although she got a nice run behind the favourite.
“This was her third run, so we will see how she comes through this race but she’s obviously a good filly.”
Gary Portelli was left wondering what might have been after Sejardan was forced to race three and four-wide without cover most of the race.
“Sejardan got a bump early and was turned sideways, Jason (Collett) thought I can’t go back now so I have to take my medicine. The colt has run a great race for third,’’ Portelli said.
“But this wasn’t Grand Final Day and he has improvement to come. I liked the way he raced, seeing him keep grinding through the line.
“The Golden Slipper is going to be great, we will have a real crack at it., but when he gets to the Sires at seven furlongs (1400m) he will really come to the fore with the slower tempo, his big turn of foot and he’s strong.
“He will have a week over at the farm then come back into work. I will give him a gallop between races then the Todman Stakes a fortnight out into the Golden Slipper.’’
Originally published as Inglis Millennium: Tony McEvoy has sights on Golden Slipper with unbeaten filly Xtravagant Star
Keyword: Inglis Millennium: Tony McEvoy has sights on Golden Slipper with unbeaten filly Xtravagant Star