Legarto (NZ) Makes History in Australian Guineas

Superstar filly Legarto (NZ) (Proisir) has gone where no New Zealand-trained three-year-old has gone before, triumphing in Saturday’s A$1m Group One Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington.

Not the first New Zealand-bred to taste success in the feature, but the first Kiwi-trained winner in the 37-year history of the Australian Guineas, Legarto was a $90,000 purchase from Book 2 of Karaka 2021. She has now had seven starts for six wins, earning over $1m in stakes for her dozen owners.

Audiences in New Zealand already knew what Legarto was capable of, having been treated to five spectacular come-from-behind wins in a row including the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), Group Two Eight Carat Classic (1600m) and Group Three Soliloquy Stakes (1400m).

She had lost her unbeaten record with an unlucky last-start fourth in the $1m Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m) in January in her final start before her Melbourne mission, but on Saturday she showed all of her star qualities on one of Australasian three-year-old racing’s biggest stages.

Patiently ridden by expat New Zealand jockey Michael Dee, Legarto settled near the tail of the 13-horse field and provided plenty of nervous moments when she was badly blocked for more than half of the home straight.

But once Dee found a way into the clear, Legarto took care of the rest, producing a turn of foot that only very special racehorses possess and powering home for a jaw-dropping win.

“I thought I was behind a horse that would take me through and keep me out of trouble, but I ended up left in a pocket there for quite some time,” Dee said.

“To Legarto’s credit, wow – she’s got a very, very good turn of foot. To get out when she did and finish over the top of them was an amazing effort.

“She’s still on the way up, that’s for sure. She’s only lightly raced and should arguably be unbeaten. I think she can come back in the spring and could be anything.”

Legarto’s Guineas triumph was the first Group One win in Australia for Matamata trainers Ken and Bev Kelso, who have only half a dozen horses in work.

“It’s huge,” Ken Kelso said. “I’ve said that we wouldn’t retire until we got a Group One in Australia. We’ve only ever brought Group One horses over here, and we’ve had three seconds, so it’s massive to win one. I just can’t believe it.

“She’s just an amazing filly. Probably 100 metres out, we thought we were going to run fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth if we were lucky. But she does things that other horses can’t do. She’s pretty special.

“I think we’ll take her home now. She’s had a big season with two trips away – going to Christchurch for the 1000 Guineas in the spring and then coming here. We have to chat to the owners, but as far as we’re concerned, we think she should probably have a bit of a break. Then we can think about coming back in the spring, and we can dream about things like Cox Plates and Caulfield Cups.”

Legarto’s win was also a landmark result for Rich Hill Stud. She became the first Australian Group One winner for Rich Hill stallion Proisir, who has already swept all before him in New Zealand with four individual Group One winners on home soil this season.

Not only that, but Saturday’s third placegetter Japanese Emperor (NZ) is by fellow Rich Hill stallion Satono Aladdin and was offered by Rich Hill in Book 1 of Karaka 2021. He was a $360,000 purchase by Paul Moroney Bloodstock and Ballymore Stables NZ, and his four-start career to date has produced a win, a Group One placing and A$126,250 in stakes.

Vendor	Highline Thoroughbreds
Purchaser	Ancroft Stud (Waikato)
Breeding	Proisir – Geordie Girl
Sale	Lot 804, Karaka 2021 Book 2, $90,000
Bred by	W E Jeffries