New Zealand 1000 Guineas (Group 1)

IN front of a sell-out crowd of 15,000 at Riccarton, New Zealand Cup Day was abandoned after the third race following a horse slipping, and the track deemed unsafe, forcing the rescheduling of the Group 1 1000 Guineas.

Fast forward to Monday and the rescheduled meeting was able to continue following the completion of remediation work. While not at capacity, those on-course had fine weather to accompany the slow seven racing surface, none of which was any concern to Legarto who was rated at the prohibitive price of $1.30 to continue her unbeaten run in the 1000 Guineas.

Trained by Ken and Bev Kelso, Legarto ambled out of the gates from the 1,600-metre start, ignoring the urgency shown by Romancing The Moon who took up the running in the nine-horse field. Brought into the race by jockey Ryan Elliot approaching the final bend Legarto showed she had much improvement to come.

Despite a propensity to want to lay-in down Riccartton’s straight, the Proisir filly blew her rivals away in the final 200 metres to scorch to a five-length win over the Wrote filly Best Seller with a further two lengths to the Almanzor filly Blue Solitaire.

All this despite Legarto’s bridle breaking behind the barriers, delaying the start by minutes.

“I aged about 10 years with the drama at the start,” said co-trainer Ken Kelso whose co-trainer and wife was at home due to her health.

“It’s a big relief, and I don’t want to go through that again. I’m glad it’s all over. It’s a huge result, it’s just a pity she’s not here to witness it.

“We’ve been a team for a long time, we’ve been training together for 40-odd years, but I’m sure she got a hell of a lot of excitement and relief, like I did, after that.”

Purchased for NZ$90,000 from Book 2 of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka in 2021, Legarto looks set to target the Karaka Million Three-Year-Old Classic over 1,600 metres at Pukekohe on 21st January.

NZ Cup Week

Riccarton’s Monday meeting also saw the running of the 159th New Zealand Cup, a Group 3 3,200 metre handicap which is traditionally the centrepiece of ‘Cup Week’ in New Zealand which combines all three racing codes, highlighted by the New Zealand Pacing Cup for standardbreds and the New Zealand Cup for greyhounds.

At Riccarton, it was the Rock ‘N Pop gelding Aljay who took the prize making it back-to-back wins for the Kevin Myers stable, with Tina Comignaghi taking the ride.

Myers bought the now five-year-old Aljay for NZ$39,000 from the NZB Ready-To-Run sale, the two-day 2022 edition of which is being held this week.

THIS year’s Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Alenquer has joined the Mike Moroney stable, who placed second in the Melbourne Cup this year with Emissary.

The French-bred son of Adlerflug who was trained by William Haggas was secured by Mike’s brother, renowned bloodstock agent Paul Moroney.

“Paul had been keen on him from when he was a yearling as a lovely scopey staying type so had followed his career closely and we can’t wait to get him down to Australia,” said Mororney.

“He’ll enter quarantine over there on Monday and then after two weeks there he’ll quarantine here so we’ll have him in the stable before Christmas which is fantastic.

“I think a mile and a quarter, a mile and a half will be his trip, so we’ve got a number of options with him looking towards the Queen Elizabeth Stakes in the autumn and a Cox Plate target for the spring.”

JAMIE Kah is set to tackle Hong Kong for the first time as one of the jockeys selected to represent Australia at the International Jockeys’ Championship, held over four races at Happy Valley on 7th December.

Kah, who has ridden in Singapore and the UK in the past, will join Melbourne Cup winner Jye McNeil and Champion Hong Kong jockey Zac Purton on the Australian team.

Kah will also return to Singapore this weekend with herself and Craig Williams at Kranji for the Singapore Gold Cup meeting. The pair will ride Sacred Croix and Mr Black Back in the Gold Cup respectively.

JOCKEY Joe Doyle has wasted no time in getting off the mark in a new venture with a dream introduction to New Zealand racing.

The 26-year-old Irish jockey posted a winning double at Rotorua last week.

Doyle was quick to get his first winner in the opening event with Buccheri and three races later gave another polished winning display aboard Golden Kiwi.

His two Rotorua winners are from the Cambridge stable of Tim and Margaret Carter.

“It has been fantastic, it certainly couldn’t have gone any better,” he told reporters afterwards.

“It was during Covid that I got it into my head to come here, but obviously everything was shut and I haven’t had the opportunity for a couple of years,” he said.

“I am friends with a girl back home who is from New Zealand and I was chatting to her about coming over for a period of time.

“Racing back home is quite quiet going into winter and not a lot happening, flat racing-wise. I spoke to her and she said she would text a few people and Tim and Margaret got back to me straight away and were keen for me to come over.

“I can’t thank them enough for the start they have given me, they are fantastic people.”

“When you come to a new place it’s very important to get the first win on the board and I count myself extremely lucky.”