Morzillo ‘ticks boxes’

Queensland filly unleashed on $2m Inglis Millennium

Young Sydney riding gun Zac Lloyd will team up with Queensland filly El Morzillo in the $2m Inglis Millennium at Randwick on Saturday, with trainer Kelly Schweida having a simple philosophy for the rich juvenile race.

“She won’t win it if she is sitting at home in her box,” astute Eagle Farm trainer Schweida said of his filly.

Grey filly El Morzillo will be Group 1-winning horseman Schweida’s first Inglis Millennium runner and she won’t be there to just make up the numbers at Randwick.

In two starts, the two-yearold filly has been nothing but impressive and professional.

In her first start, the daughter of Star Witness recorded an eye-catching Stakes placing when running home strongly to finish second behind Tony Gollan youngster Barbie’s Sister in the Listed Calaway Gal (1000m) at Eagle Farm in early December.

Then, despite drifting in the betting market, she scored her maiden win on the Sunshine Coast when getting few favours in the run yet still proving too classy for her rivals. On that occasion, she got the better of Chris Anderson’s youngster Lead Me On who had previously won the $500,000 Debut race on Gold Coast Magic Millions day.

“She is very professional, she ticks all the boxes, she is a pretty little girl and nice and quiet,” Schweida said.

“She has had two starts, a black-type placing on debut when she ran second. And then she produced a strong win. They weren’t slouches, you had a Magic Millions day winner she beat in that race.

“At her first start she was back about fifth and found the line, the other day her best work was late.

“She is always strong late. It’s impossible to line the form up going into the $2m race, but we have got to give her a go.

“The experience going away to Sydney will do her the world of good.”

Schweida knows the Lloyd family well.

Zac, the champion Sydney apprentice, spent many of his formative years in Queensland when his champion father Jeff was riding.

Several other jockeys had expressed interest in riding the Queensland filly in the Inglis Millennium but Schweida was more than happy when Lloyd committed. “A lot of jockeys were half committed and not really knowing if their horses were going to run or not,” Schweida said. “A couple of others rang back, but I had already booked Zac.”