Undefeated colt Fully Lit (Hellbent) made a clean sweep of the $2m Inglis Millennium and $400,000 Inglis Pink Bonus with a devastating victory in today’s 2YO feature at Randwick.
Having drawn gate 17 in the 1100m race, Fully Lit tried to cross the field but got no closer than three-wide the trip for jockey Regan Bayliss.
But it didn’t stop the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained juvenile, who exploded at the 200m mark to put a sizeable gap on his rivals to seal a stunning victory.
Not only was his win a sight to behold to the naked eye, it also proved an exceptionally lucrative performance for his connections, not only picking up the $1.155m first prize cheque but also an extra $400,000 for being the first Inglis Pink Bonus-eligible runner home.
For Redfox Racing’s husband and wife duo Tracey Rook and Bill Duncan – who purchased Fully Lit for just $60,000 at last year’s Classic Yearling Sale from the draft of his breeder Glenlogan Park – today’s result was extraordinary.
“It means the world to us,’’ Duncan said.
“There’s so many people to thank, the breakers, trainers, Inglis are just unbelievable but the person I want to thank most is my wife [Tracey], she does such a great job, she’s up at three in the morning, lucky to be in bed by midnight, six, seven days a week.’’
Rook added: “When we looked at him at the Inglis [Classic] Sale last year he was a sensational looking horse and we just loved him from the start.
“It’s hard to believe it was this time 12 months ago we found him!’’
Glenlogan’s Steve Morley watched today’s Millennium at Riverside and was ecstatic with the result.
“I won’t lie, having watched all the lead-up races on the program and the winners all had cover and then here we are from barrier 17 and trapped three wide for most of the trip made for a tough watch but when he exploded in the straight, wow, he was ultra impressive,’’ Morley said.
“He might be better than we even think because that was dominant and he had to do it the hard way and he’s only going to keep getting better.’’
The filly is one of eight yearlings in Glenlogan’s draft and today’s result aside, was always going to be well found at the sale.
“She’s been so, so busy all week at inspections, she’s just the most stunning filly and while now being the half sister to an Inglis Millennium winner won’t exactly hurt, she is her own standout as she is,’’ Morley said.
“We can’t wait for the sale to start!’’
There are also 16 progeny of Hellbent – Fully Lit’s sire - catalogued for the sale.
To view the Classic catalogue CLICK HERE.
Fully Lit firmed into $11 with Ladbrokes for both the G1 Blue Diamond in a fortnight and the G1 Golden Slipper on March 23 off the back of today’s win.
The victory also saw Waterhouse and Bott jump to equal second in the Inglis Race Series Theault Trainers’ Challenge, behind only Ciaron Maher.
Winning co-trainer Adrian Bott – who received a pair of Swarovski Optik binoculars for being the winning trainers of an Inglis Race Series Event – described Fully Lit as a “life changer’’.
“Colts like this change people’s lives, he’s exceptionally talented, he’s two from two, he’s by an exceptionally popular stallion and if he wins the right races in the next 12-18 months he’s one of the most valuable prospects in racing,’’ Bott said.
“The money on offer in the Inglis Race Series is extraordinary, not only the first prize cheque today but obviously the $400,000 Pink Bonus as well, it’s just a phenomenal result for the connections and I suspect they’ll be getting fully lit tonight!’’
On the Pink Bonus, Redfox’s Tracey Rook added: “I just think women in racing, Gai is the ultimate lady of racing and I just said to the girls when we bought this colt, we’re going to be racing in the pink saddlecloth, and here we are. It’s amazing.’’
The Inglis Pink Bonus is the most lucrative women’s incentive in world racing.
It is active in four races in the Inglis Race Series – the Inglis Banner ($200,000), Inglis Nursery ($200,000), Inglis Millennium ($400,000) and Inglis Sprint ($200,000).
You do not need to win the race to win the Pink Bonus - the first eligible Pink Bonus runner to cross the finish line will win the bonus.
To be eligible, a horse must have minimum 75% female ownership and must be fully paid up to the $12.55m Inglis Race Series.
The next chance to buy an Inglis Pink Bonus-eligible galloper is at the Classic Yearling Sale, which begins at 10am tomorrow and runs for three days at Riverside.
