Kris Lees & James McDonald have combined with Rivellino ($4.00) to claim the seventh running of the $2 million Inglis Millennium (1100m) at Randwick on Saturday afternoon, with the son of Too Darn Hot keeping his resume unblemished heading into the Sydney autumn.
The undefeated two-year-old couldn’t have been more impressive storming to back-to-back victories to start the campaign, with the untapped colt making a sustained run down the centre of the course to burst clear in Saturday’s feature.
The Magic Man ($15.00) was sent forward to lead under Kerrin McEvoy from barrier one, with the Paul Perry-trained colt ticking over some strong sectionals early, while Kujenga ($21.00) drawn to his outside was happy to stride in unison.
The well-supported favourite with horse racing bookmakers, Price Tag ($3.50), had to endure a tough run three-and-four wide without cover throughout the journey, while Rivellino and Within The Law ($5.50) were smoking the pipe at the rear of the field.
There was a wall of horses chasing the leading pair turning for home, including Artistic Venture ($21.00) and Grafterburners ($23.00) who were left to fill out the minor money, but it was Rivellino going right on with the job in the final furlong, justifying plenty of support with punters prior to the jump.
Kris Lees was on course to discuss the victory post-race at Randwick.
“Those colours have been worn by some very good horses and my first winner (Cherokee Lass) back in the nineties had them in a maiden at Newcastle,” said Lees.
“They go back a long way.
“He’s a Lovely colt. I trained the mother (Intrinsic). That is often a bit of a start when you go to a sale. He is a horse that has continued to improve while we’ve had him in work and from each trial to the races he has continued to go the right way.
“He’s got a lot of upside and it is a special feeling today.
“He’s a smart two-year-old and I’d say we’ll be pushing on to some degree. You could see him in the Slipper, for sure.”
James McDonald spoke post-race and couldn’t have been happier with the performance.
“He’s a ripper and fair play to Kris, he has always liked him,” said McDonald.
“When he rang and said ‘you’ve got to ride this one, I reckon he’s pretty good’. So it didn’t take much convincing.
“I rode him in a trial and he gave me an excellent feel and that was just what we wanted to see today.
“As soon as we had a spot with a bit of cover we were happy. I thought he would coming here and run really well but I just needed a little bit of luck and I got that from the 800 (metre mark).
“He’s a really improving type. He’s going to be a force to be reckoned with through the carnival.”
Rivellino is now a $21.00 chance in futures markets with Dabble for the Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) on March 22.
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