King’s Legacy bid may be Vain task
KING’S Legacy will need to enter the realm of the freakish Vain to win Saturday’s Group 1 Cantala Stakes (1600m) at Flemington.
Vain is one of only four horses to win the Cantala Stakes as a three-year-old during an amazing streak in which he won three stakes races at the 1969 Melbourne Cup carnival.
Storm Queen (1966) and Taj Rossi (1973) also won the race as three-year-old fillies. Silver Bounty was the last three-year-old to win the Cantala Stakes in 1980.
Adding to the task is the fact King’s Legacy goes into the race after a disappointing run in the Caulfield Guineas.
King’s Legacy finished more than five lengths from Ole Kirk in the Caulfield Guineas, prompting trainers Peter and Paul Snowden to order a barrage of tests for the dual Group 1 winner.
“The horse travelled down
perfect and was spot-on on game day but just finished well below his best,” Peter Snowden said.
“We’ve done every test you can name. We’ve scoped him, we’ve X-rayed him, we’ve trotted him up, we’ve had bloods done.”
But vets found nothing wrong with the valuable colt, so Snowden is prepared to write off the run as a blip. His only explanation is King’s Legacy simply didn’t enjoy racing at Caulfield.
“It is a bit of a head scratcher why, but I suppose the hoodoo of Caulfield sometimes – I don’t believe it but I’ve got to put it down to something because I can’t find nothing wrong with the horse,” Snowden said.
“I am just going to put that run behind him and back his ability and say he is going to go into that race with a great chance on Saturday.”
Weekend Hussler failed in the 2007 Cantala Stakes weeks after his Caulfield Guineas win but Snowden noted few three-year-olds have a crack at the $1.5 million race.
However, Snowden said King’s Legacy could bounce back with an improved performance with Cox Platewinning jockey Glen Boss in the saddle on Saturday.
“I’d like to think that his best runs are still to come,” Snowden said. “Judging by what I saw at Caulfield I’m sure there’s another good one in him.”