Karaka Graduate Legless Veuve (NZ) Wins Thousand Guineas Prelude

The New Zealand flag flew high at Caulfield on Saturday as Karaka graduate Legless Veuve (NZ) (Pins) edged out the Cambridge-trained Luna Rossa (NZ) (Written Tycoon) in an all-Kiwi finish to the A$200,000 Group 2 Schweppes Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m).

Legless Veuve was prominent throughout the race and fought strongly down the straight, turning back all challenges to win by half a length. She was ridden by Mark Zahra for trainer Stuart Webb.

“To beat this lot the way she did today, I think she's real high-class,” Webb said. “She's still got her winter coat and is so, so far behind.

“If she wins the Thousand Guineas in two weeks’ time, that’ll be it for her this spring. But she’ll be a really nice filly in the autumn.”

The win was the second from four career starts for Legless Veuve, whose dam is the O’Reilly mare Hyades (NZ). That mare has produced four winners from seven foals to race. Legless Veuve is her second stakes performer after Tootsie (NZ) (Pins), who won the Group 3 Mannerism Stakes and placed in the Group 1 Telegraph Handicap.

Legless Veuve was bred by Waikato Stud, who offered her at the 2015 Premier Sale. She was purchased for $150,000 by Aquanita Racing. Legless Veuve has now earned A$157,650 in stakes.

Thousand Guineas Prelude runner-up Luna Rossa is trained at Cambridge by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman for owner-breeders Jomara Bloodstock. She won last season’s Group 1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), and in her only previous start in this campaign she ran second to It’s Time For Magic (NZ) (Per Incanto) in the Listed O’Leary’s Fillies’ Stakes (1200m) at Wanganui.

Saturday’s result continued an outstanding run of three-year-old filly success for Waikato Stud stallion Pins, who sired the quinella in last Saturday’s Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) with Honey Rider (NZ) and Glass Slipper (NZ).