Racing Confidential: 2025 Inglis Millennium kicks off NSW’s million-dollar mayhem

The Inglis Millennium at Royal Randwick on Saturday is the first of a record 47 NSW races with prizemoney of at least $1 million this year.

Price Tag (right, white cap), pictured running home second behind My Gladiola in the Blue Diamond Fillies Preview at Sandown on January 25, is the favourite for Saturday’s Inglis Millennum at Royal Randwick. Picture: Pat Scala / Racing Photos

The Inglis Millennium at Royal Randwick on Saturday is the first of a record 47 NSW races with prizemoney of at least $1 million this year.

Sydney has 45 of the big-money races including the nation’s two richest, the $20 million The Everest and $10 million Golden Eagle.

There are also two races with stakes of $1 million at Saturday stand-alone meetings – The Hunter at Newcastle and The Gong at Kembla Grange.

It’s nearly 40 years since Sydney’s first $1 million race, the 1986 Golden Slipper won by Bounding Away, the Tommy Smith-trained filly who remains the only two-year-old to win Horse of the Year.

• PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet’s team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW!

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

THERE have been some significant riding changes for the Apollo Stakes meeting at Royal Randwick on Saturday week after champion jockey James McDonald’s decision to partner crack colt Switzerland in the Lightning Stakes at Flemington.

Kerrin McEvoy will ride Chris Waller’s super mare Via Sistina in the Apollo Stakes and has also been booked for her stablemate Joliestar in the Expressway Stakes. Waller has called on Jason Collett to partner Fangirl in the Apollo.

Meanwhile, Via Sistina, winner of four Group 1 races last spring and early favourite for Horse of the Year honours, will have an exhibition gallop between races on Saturday along with stablemates Fangirl and Atishu.

"A CENTURY OF THE VERY BEST!"

After a dramatic week, VIA SISTINA wins the 2024 Cox Plate & gives @mcacajamez 100 Group 1 victories 💚 @cwallerracingpic.twitter.com/MyKM4Th8z7

— Racing.com (@Racing) October 26, 2024

The Waller stable also has Lady Shenandoah and Declichy Boulevard working between races while Godolphin trainer James Cummings has scheduled exhibition gallops for triple Group 1 winner Broadsiding and Golden Mile.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

ZAC Purton, who recently broke the record for most wins by a jockey in Hong Kong racing, returns to Australia to ride the promising mare Isthmus in the Lightning Stakes next week.

Zac Purton heads to Melbourne next week for the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes to ride potential Royal Ascot hopeful Isthmus.https://t.co/OM8hhwtI3A

— Racenet (@RacenetTweets) February 6, 2025

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

MR Brightside will become only the 16th horse to win at least nine Group 1 races if he successfully defends his title in the CF Orr Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.

Since the official Group and Listed Classifications system was introduced in 1978, the only horses to win nine or more Group 1 races are Winx with a world record 25 wins, Black Caviar (15), Kingston Town and Melody Belle (14), Sunline and Tie The Knot (13), Manikato, Lonhro, Rough Habit and Verry Elleegant (11), Octagonal and Imperatriz (10), and Northerly, Nature Strip and Anamoe (9).

🎥 | JD Hayes says Mr Brightside looks “tremendous” for his return in the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes at the Festival of Racing launch this morning. pic.twitter.com/RgF3EDiqty

— Racenet (@RacenetTweets) February 6, 2025

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

THE Aga Khan, who operated one of the world’s largest and most successful racing and breeding operations, died in Portugal this week. He was 88.

The influential owner-breeder raced many champions including the legendary Shergar, winner of the 1981 English Derby by a record 10 lengths, unbeaten mare and 2008 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Zarkava, plus Daylami, Sinndar and Petite Etoile.

"I have great memories associated to him and his team!"@JohnnyMurtagh salutes the late HH Aga Khan IV, recalling the day Sinndar landed Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe glory in his colours... pic.twitter.com/2ENpujyKYi

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) February 5, 2025

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

SOME encouraging reports about jockey Blake Spriggs as he continues to recover from multiple injuries sustained in a race fall at Moruya last month.

Spriggs had the breathing tube removed last weekend, he is talking with family and close friends again, and is doing some daily walking exercise.

Trainer Mitchell Beer, with whom Spriggs has formed a very successful association, posted on social media this week: “You can’t keep a good man down.’’

Originally published as Racing Confidential: 2025 Inglis Millennium kicks off NSW’s million-dollar mayhem