Coolmore has a well-earned international reputation for buying into stallions with pedigrees and performances of the rarest type, so it wasn't a great surprise when it was confirmed that the global thoroughbred powerhouse had bought into and secured the future breeding rights to dual Group 1-winning 2-year-old King's Legacy (Redoute's Choice).
Coolmore stands the most recent colt to have won multiple Group 1s as a juvenile in Australia in Pierro, while in the past few years its international pursuit of the rarest of thoroughbred talents has led it to standing two American Triple Crown winners in American Pharoah (USA) and Justify (USA).
King's Legacy may be only 2-years-old and just six starts into his career, but following his win in the G1 Champagne S. on Saturday he has proven himself in terms of his combination of pedigree, performance and type, among the most significant stallion prospects seen in Australia for some time.
King's Legacy | Image by Dan Himbrechts courtesy of AAP Photos
Not only is he the first dual Group 1-winning Australian 2-year-old since Guelph (Exceed And Excel) in 2013, he is the only son or daughter of the legendary Redoute's Choice to have achieved that honour. In fact, with his win at Randwick on Saturday, he becomes just the third son of the three-time Champion stallion to become a multiple Australian Group 1 winner, joining The Autumn Sun and Lankan Rupee.
He also occupies rare air as one of only four of Redoute's Choice's progeny to sell for over $1 million as a yearling - there are 82 in all - and then go on to win a Group 1 race, joining Samantha Miss, who also won the G1 Champagne S., Master Of Design and South African Group 1 winner Mustaaqeem.
Bloodstock agent James Harron, driven by competition from Coolmore's Tom Magnier, was the one who ensured he set that mark, paying $1.4 million for the colt at last year's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Gallery: King's Legacy when selling at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
Looking through a pedigree page which features not only Australia's pre-eminent sire of the century, but also names on his dam side such as top stallions Not A Single Doubt and Snippets as well as recent Group 1 winner Oohood (I Am invincible), Harron knew that he was accessing a colt of enormous residual potential should he be able to perform at the top level on the track.
"He's very much a rare commodity. He's a three-quarter brother to Not A Single Doubt. The family goes back to Snippets. It's just as good a pedigree as you can get and for him to be the only two-time Group 1-winning son of Redoute's as a 2-year-old is quite amazing. He's a very rare article," Harron told TDN AusNZ.
"He's very much a rare commodity. He's a three-quarter brother to Not A Single Doubt. The family goes back to Snippets. It's just as good a pedigree as you can get." - James Harron
"We were very keen to get him. Obviously we had to pay a bit of money for him at the sales. As it turned out, MV and Tom Magnier were the underbidders on the horse at the time. They have kept a close eye on him. After the Sires' there had been a lot of interest in him from a lot of farms. They came out victorious and we are delighted to have them on board.
"They are a great bunch of guys who do a super job and it’s lovely that he is going to have a home at the end of his racing career at Coolmore, it’s very exciting. All the owners are very excited about what we have in front of us."
When he arrives at Coolmore at some point in the future King's Legacy will continue to break new ground. He will be just the second Group 1-winning son of Redoute's Choice to stand at its Jerrys Plains base.
That Redoute's Choice sireline is something Coolmore has focussed more and more on in recent times. Of the eight yearlings Magnier purchased at the recent Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, three were colts by Redoute's Choice's sons. Two were by Snitzel, including the sale topper for $1.8 million, and one was by Not A Single Doubt.
A Legacy begins
Bred by Segenhoe Stud, King's Legacy is from Breakfast In Bed, mare by Hussonet (USA), a nick which has produced 16 winners, including five at stakes level. It was a combination Harron had already tasted success with before with now Arrowfield Stud stallion, Pariah.
Having seen off the Magniers, no small feat in itself, to secure the colt on behalf of a colts' syndicate featuring his biggest supporters, Harron sent King's Legacy to the breakers with his fingers crossed.
King's Legacy as a yearling
"He was broken in by Peter and Michelle (McMahon) at Kolora Lodge in Queensland. Peter called me after he'd done all his breakers and said this colt was his number one pick," Harron said.
"That was music to my ears, because he's probably the best-bred colt we have ever bought. Within a short period of time, separately, Peter and Paul Snowden identified him as a really good horse as well."
During this time the colt was given the moniker of a horse with plenty of expectation on him. His star stallion had died shortly after Harron had purchased the colt and the mantle seemed appropriate, if perhaps at that stage a little ambitious.
"We couldn’t have put more pressure on him as a horse, but we thought we may as well go for gold. The name looks great now. He's well placed to live up to it." - James Harron
"We couldn’t have put more pressure on him as a horse, but we thought we may as well go for gold. The name looks great now. He's well placed to live up to it," he said.
Living up to the name
Placed on debut at Rosehill, he stepped up to the G3 BJ McLachlan S. at his second start and secured a stakes win. He closed for fifth in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic, a race Harron now admits was not really suitable, before being given time to prepare for the Sydney Group 1 features.
The decision to give the colt time off to develop and target the G1 Golden Slipper S. fresh has proven a stroke of genius. While he found the Slipper a bit slick off a break, finishing ninth, he improved markedly to win the G1 Inglis Sires' at his second run back and then completed the Group 1 double in the Champagne S. on Saturday.
Harron said King's Legacy came back a more seasoned horse off that break he had in Queensland off the Magic Millions, and he feels there is still further improvement to come heading into his 3-year-old season.
"Peter is adamant he still has a lot to come. I spoke to Hughie (Bowman - jockey) last night and he was the same. He was very emphatic about the colt and said I think he can be really good next season. The way he levels out and pins his ears back and attacks, that's just a great asset," he said.
"The way he levels out and pins his ears back and attacks, that's just a great asset." - James Harron
"Looking at him physically, he is only a baby, there is definitely room for improvement and he's continued to improve from the sale through every step. He has always improved at the right pace, nice and gradually and that has allowed him to win these 2-year-old races. He hasn't lost his balance or got out of shape.
"You can just see that he's going to have that little bit more upside to him because he goes out as a happy, pretty untouched horse, and when they spell like that, they come back bigger and better."
James with King's Legacy
Harron has built his reputation on identifying colts and giving them every opportunity to make stallions and King's Legacy now occupies a special place in his heart.
"It’s just very special. You put your neck out on these very expensive horses. There is a lot of pressure on everybody, but when you get it right and everything comes together, it's everything we dream and plan for," he said.
"He's very, very special. From a long-term perspective as well, he's the sort of horse that can be a real breed-shaper. He ticks all the boxes and it’s really hard to pick faults in the horse. To win two Group 1s as a 2-year-old is a cherry on the cake."
