Racing: Legarto looms large but it goes skew wiff in Oz

Legarto. Photo/Kenton Wright (Race Images)

There was drama, defeat and a race that wasn’t as New Zealand’s star four-year-old mares tried to take on three different assignments on either side of the Tasman yesterday.

Legarto was the big winner with a comprehensive performance in the Matamata Cup but just minutes earlier Prowess had to settle for second to Town Cryer in the $100,000 Breeders Stakes at Hawera.

But at least they both got to race, which is more than fellow Kiwi Group1 winner Skew Wiff did at Flemington in Melbourne.

The last-start winner of the Tarzino Trophy at Hastings made a meal of her assignment in the Rose of Kingston Stakes, playing up in the starting gates and not passing the subsequent veterinary examination so she was scratched.

That puts her campaign aimed at the A$10 million Golden Eagle in Sydney on November 4 in doubt as she will need at least one more start before then to be fit enough and trainer Mark Walker has some thinking to do about whether her theatrics yesterday warrant a trip to Sydney.

A Kiwi mare undoubtedly going to the Golden Eagle is Legarto, who was professional in the Matamata Cup.

She sat three wide with cover for the first half of the race but cruised up on the home bend and soon had the measure of leader La Crique, who had the 60kg topweight.

Legarto shot clear but appeared to peak on her run in the last 50m allowing top staying mare Aquacade to get close in what was a pointer for the latter’s summer Cups campaign.

Jockey Ryan Elliot said Legarto had a good blow after the race and she will only improve as trainer Ken Kelso hones her down towards her Sydney date with the mega money.

“She is definitely stronger than last campaign so watch out Australia,” said Elliot.

Kelso is trying to engage Mick Dee, who rode Legarto to win the Australian Guineas in March, to partner her in the Golden Eagle and hopes for a commitment from the expat New Zealand jockey this week.

It is not that Dee doesn’t want to jump back on Legarto but the Golden Eagle is the same day as Derby Day at Flemington so Dee’s commitment would mean missing the first day of Melbourne Cup week.

Prowess is almost certainly heading to Melbourne as long as she pulls up well following her second to Town Cryer in the Group 3 at Hawera.

Having her first start since March 25, Prowess loomed up looking like a winner but Town Cryer kicked too strongly in a wonderful training performance from Roydon Bergerson.

“Once the track started to get a bit wetter I thought she was a chance because she was so well,” said Bergerson.

Prowess’s co-trainer Roger James reports his mare had dipped on the cutting up surface, with jockey Michael McNab saying that had taken the stuffing out of her.

She will undoubtedly improve with the run which should bring her on nicely for possible assignments at The Valley and Flemington.

Nothing should be taken away from Town Cryer, having gone into the race giving away 24 rating points to Prowess yet carrying 0.5kg more.

“I was going to take her to the Couplands Mile [Riccarton] but after that I might have to stay up here and aim at something even bigger,” said Bergerson, the father of Sam who leads the training premiership in partnership with Mark Walker.