Magic Millions to offer Legarto in May
Philip Brown, speaking on behalf of the 12-strong ownership group that includes the Kelsos, confirmed that four-time Group 1 winner Legarto (NZ) (Proisir) will go to auction at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast in May. “We’ve already arranged for her to go to Brian Nutt at Attunga Stud to be prepared for the sale,” Brown told Loveracing.nz.
Legarto (NZ) | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“Being a partnership, public auction is the proper way to realise her true worth. As a multiple Group 1 winner including one in Australia, she’s obviously a valuable mare, so it’s going to be an interesting exercise.
“That was probably the most emotional win of all on Saturday – to see her bounce back after some had begun to doubt her, Opie getting his 100 and another big win for Ken and Bev – it was special.”
Co-trainer Ken Kelso was happy with the mare after Saturday’s G1 Herbie Dyke Stakes win.
“She’s taken no harm from the race, so the Bonecrusher is the obvious next target for her,” Kelso said.
“Beyond that we’ll have to talk things through. She’s rising seven and we’ve already decided this is her final preparation, but if she was to go well at Ellerslie we could perhaps look at a race like the Australian Cup.”
Slipper winner set for Lightning
G1 Golden Slipper winner Marhoona (Snitzel) will run in Saturday’s G1 Lightning Stakes. She returned in the spring to win the Listed Heritage Stakes and was third in the G2 Roman Consul Stakes last start. “She’s been very lightly-raced and well looked after and so she certainly hasn’t been over-taxed and I think she’s come back in really good order this time around,” trainer Michael Freedman told racing.com.
Marhoona | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“She’s been down there since late last week. Obviously, she hasn’t been up the straight before but I’ve been really happy with how she’s been going so we figured it was worth giving her a crack.”
Tentyris hard to topple in Lightning
Trainer John McArdle thinks his 3-year-old filly My Gladiola (I Am Invincible) can beat Tentyris (Street Boss {USA}) in Saturday’s G1 Lightning Stakes. The pair were the quinella in the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes in the spring with Tentyris winning that day.
“He (Tentyris) is a very good horse and he's going to be bloody hard to beat,” McArdle told racenet.com.au.
John McArdle | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“In the Coolmore from barrier one, we had to get back behind him and we couldn't match his turn of foot. Hopefully we get a kinder gate and she's hopefully going to be in front of him and give him something to chase.
“She was only having the one trial and she is a bit of a fat girl so it did help that she got a harder hit-out than what she would have against lower grade horses. She seems to be better when you space her runs a little bit and we have trialled her in between runs a few times to keep her up to the mark.”
Potential new era for Goulburn Valley Equine Hospital
The Chair of The Goulburn Valley Equine Hospital (GVEH) wrote in a press release on Monday that owners University of Melbourne will discontinue their equine training through the Equine Hospital, moving to “a new distributed service model for equine clinical training, consisting of a university-operated facility at its Werribee campus with additional outreach partners located across Victoria.
“As teaching at GVEH will be discontinued, the University will no longer make ongoing, long term financial contributions to GVEH. The GVEH Board and senior management will now assess all options for GVEH, including sale, transfer or closure of some or all of GVEH’s business. The University will provide ongoing support to GVEH and its staff through its period of transition.
“GVEH is committed to business as usual and we look forward to the beginning of a new era for the horses of the district.”
Philia to head off Ole Dancer
Trainer David Vandyke is confident Philia (All Too Hard) can beat last start G1 1000 Guineas winner Ole Dancer (Ole Kirk) when the pair resume in Saturday’s G3 Frances Tressady Stakes at Flemington.
“She'll be hard to beat on Saturday,” Vandyke told racenet.com.au.
Philia | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
“I know it's first-up off the back of a long break, Flemington, 1400 metres, but gee we've spent some time getting her ready and I think she's improved (from her winter campaign). She's a bit stronger and she looks well.” The half-sister to Group 1 winner Duais (Shamus Award) won the G2 The Roses last season.
McDonald to appeal whip suspension
James McDonald will appeal his 10-day suspension for breaching whip rules in the R. Listed Inglis Millennium. If he loses, he will miss the ride on Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) on Saturday in the G2 Apollo Stakes. Racing NSW will hold the hearing on Wednesday.
James McDonald | Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
“The whip rules are widely misunderstood. Hopefully we can clarify that on Wednesday,” McDonald’s lawyer Wayne Pasterfield told racenet.com.au.
Double for Brown at Caulfield Heath
Jockey Ethan Brown celebrated a double at Caulfield’s Monday Superbowl meeting with 3-year-old gelding Yes Yoshi (Yes Yes Yes) and She's An Artist (Trapeze Artist) who were his only rides of the day.
“He's a big baby at the minute, but for him to win like that and show that sort of ability as immature as he is is quite exciting going forward,” Brown said of Yes Yoshi who took his record to two from two.
She’s An Artist was hampered at the start.
“It's hard being back and wide around this track and I know she's only won by the barest of margins, but there was a lot more merit (to the win) than it looked. She's on the way up. She's a very nice horse going forward and (there's) no better way to kick off your prep.” The 4-year-old mare has won three of her six starts.
Chilly Girl out of Slipper contention
Trainers Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou announced on Monday that G1 Golden Slipper contender Chilly Girl (Trapeze Artist) would miss the big race after a minor injury.
“She tweaked her hamstring on Saturday morning so we made the decision to pull up for this preparation,” Gerald Ryan told racenet.com.au.
“It's cruel but if you push these things to quickly you can bugger them up long term. The best cure for her is rest so she'll have a good eight weeks in the paddock now. She's had one start for one stakes win and I'm sure she'll make a better 3-year-old so we've got that to look forward to.” She won the G3 Widden Stakes on debut last start.
Komachi to head to Adelaide Cup
Trainer Will Clarken will take last start Listed Premier's Plate winner Komachi (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) to the G2 Adelaide Cup.
“We’ll look to push towards an Adelaide Cup,” Clarken told racingsa.com.au.
“The horse is in great form, I wonder if he’s peaked. We’ll find out in the Lord Reims. We’re going to have to go to another level, he’s got a great pedigree and a big engine. It was a really good ride from a sticky spot early.”
First city winner for WA trainer Charlotte Skerritt
Trainer Charlotte Skerritt celebrated her first city winner on Saturday with Bird’s The Word (Galah), stable name Walter.
“The shock hasn’t set in yet. I’m so proud of Walter, and I can’t believe it,” Skerritt told racingwa.com.au on Monday.
Charlotte Skerritt | Image courtesy of Racing WA
“You work really hard to get them to the races. I was super happy with the horse. It is an amazing feeling, especially as he was in the lead for a lot of the straight and kept holding on.” Skerritt has worked for several of WA’s best trainers during her journey to her own licence.
“I did everything I could to learn how to train so I could try to make a career from horses. Neville Parnham, the Pearces (Dan and Ben) and Peter Fernie have all been massive influences, and I’m so lucky to have learnt from them.”
Royal Ascot target for Nargiz
Louis Blanchet and Ruben Elbase, the latest duo to strike up a training partnership in France, couldn't have wished for a better beginning to their venture when sending out Nargiz to win a maiden at Pornichet racecourse last Thursday.
The daughter of Lope De Vega carried the distinguished colours of Gerard Augustin-Normand to victory and now the training duo of Blanchet, who up until this point had been working as an assistant to his brother and trainer Xavier, along with Elbase, a former owner, are eyeing an audacious tilt at Royal Ascot with their breakthrough winner.
Blanchet said, “Fantastic. It was the target for us to have a winner quickly with the quality of horses that we have. So yes, we had a fantastic start with Nargiz and she won really easily as well so we could look for a Listed race with her now. We also had a very good third with Canneza in a Class 3 at Deauville on Friday.
"She is a filly we bought with Johnny McKeever for €180,000 (AU$317,000) at the sales and looks a lovely prospect. She finished extremely fast so I think we have two very nice mares at home. We will target a race at Royal Ascot with one – if not both of them – so it is a very exciting start for us.”
Gun Runner filly impresses
A daughter of Gun Runner won Sunday's Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita going one mile on the dirt, but it wasn't the one everyone expected. Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners maiden winner Meaning, fourth behind Eclipse champion 2-year-old filly Super Corredora (Gun Runner) in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, bested not only Super Corredora, but also G2 Oak Leaf Stakes winner and Juvenile Fillies runner-up Explora (Blame) in the Las Virgenes. The race offered points to the G1 Kentucky Oaks on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale.
“This is a filly we thought highly of from day one,” said Eclipse Thoroughbred's Aron Wellman on FanDuel TV after the Las Virgenes.
