Legarto legs it to victory
There was drama aplenty around Legarto’s triumph in yesterday’s 50th Group I New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton – most of it before the field jumped.
A hot $1.35 favourite for the three-year-old fillies’ $400,000 classic, Legarto proved difficult to load into the starting gates, and she gave her connections and backers a scare when her bridle broke.
The other runners were backed out of the gates as Legarto’s bridle was replaced, but she was still reluctant to take her place when the runners were loaded again and was fractious once she was in the gate prior to the field being dispatched.
However, everything went smoothly for both Legarto and jockey Ryan Elliot during the race itself.
After settling back, she improved rounding the turn and unleashed a devastating turn of foot 300m from the line, scoring by 43⁄4 lengths from Best Seller, with Blue Solitaire third.‘‘I aged about 10 years with the drama at the start,’’ Legarto’s co-trainer Ken Kelso said. ‘‘It’s a big relief, and I don’t want to go through that again. I’m glad it’s all over.’’
Elliot said the pre-race drama was something he didn’t need on such a short-priced favourite but that the race itself was dramafree by comparison.
‘‘She was just absolutely trotting and sensational. She’s something else, isn’t she?’’
Kelso said Legarto is now likely to have a short break before being aimed at the Karaka Million Three-Year-Old Classic (1600m) at Pukekohe on January 21.
Meanwhile jockey Tina Comignaghi had a red letter day riding three winners including the 159th New Zealand Cup (3200m) on Aljay.
The win also gave Whanganui trainer Kevin Myers his second consecutive winner of the staying test after Mondorani won last year.
Aljay settled down to a neck and neck struggle with Inmyshadow for several hundered metres and held the challenger off by a long head.