Griffiths places faith in unbeaten Legacy Bound in ‘hot’ edition of the Poseidon
Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon) has made a strong start in 2025-26 as he looks to kick on from his first season sires’ title, and his top ranked offspring will try to boost the stallion’s stocks further when he resumes for the spring on Saturday.
Legacy Bound, the homebred for Ole Kirk’s farm Vinery Stud who’s won two from two, will return in a high class edition of the Poseidon Stakes (Listed, 1100m) up the Flemington straight.
The Robbie Griffiths-trained gelding meets a hot field of three-year-old males. Most have recent racing on their side, including Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) hero Devil Night (Extreme Choice), and Tycoon Star (Written Tycoon), McGaw (I Am Immortal) and Jimmy Recard (I Am Invincible), who filled the trifecta in the recent McNeil Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m).
Chris Waller’s Godolphin colt Beiwacht (Bivouac), Team Hayes’s five-time winner Shining Smile (Spirit Of Boom), Ciaron Maher’s West Of Swindon (Wootton Bassett) and Team Corstens’ Facilitate (Capitalist) are also just some more of the 15 quality nominations.
And so the well-bred Legacy Bound will face by far his sternest test to date, but those who’ve been on and around him have high hopes for a bounteous spring, intended to reach its crescendo in the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
The fourth foal of another Vinery homebred in Sanaya, who’s by the farm’s former shuttler turned gun broodmare sire More Than Ready (Southern Halo), Legacy Bound was entered for last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale but was withdrawn when complications arose.
At the same sale Griffiths, along with Peter Ford Thoroughbreds and Brookdale Racing, paid $1 million for a grey Ole Kirk filly from Newhaven Park’s draft, out of the multiple stakes-placed Supara (Domesday). Seeing Griffiths’ faith in their debutant sire, Vinery sent him Legacy Bound.
The colt won his first jump-out, became a gelding, then after winning one of two more jump-outs in March debuted with a slashing 3.75-length victory in a 1200-metre Ballarat two-year-old maiden under Jye McNeil at $8.50.
Sent straight to black type in Morphettville’s Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) in late April, and with a new jockey in Mark Zahra, Legacy Bound started a $1.85 favourite against nine rivals, settled just off the pace, barged his way to the lead by the 800-metre mark and bolted clear to win by 2.8 lengths.
He beat into second place Yulong’s Steel Trap (King’s Legacy), who’d win a Group 3 at the same course at his next start.
And as Legacy Bound went for a spell, Zahra’s post-race words were ringing in Griffiths’ ears.
“From his first gallop he was always shaping up the right way,” Griffiths told ANZ News. “But we couldn’t get a good guide to him on his jump-outs, because the ground was chopping up, and he’s such a big strider.
“And the longer you train, the more reserved you are about a horse until you see him on raceday. But when we did see him on raceday, he was a better horse than he even was in training, so that was good.
“I always thought he’d give us a better performance on good ground, and he did that at Ballarat, he blew them away. And it was the same in Adelaide. He sat just behind the speed for the first little bit, then took control of the race early and then just blew them away.
“Mark hopped off and put a very big wrap on him. He compared him to Growing Empire. For a guy like Mark to say that – that was probably the most impressive part of the win to me, the jockey’s post-race comments.
“He was keen to ride him, and stick with him all the way through, so that was very encouraging.”
The thrice Group 1-placed Growing Empire – now serving his first book at Yulong for $22,000 (inc GST) – was ridden by Zahra to SAJC Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) success in 2024, and in two of his other three black-type victories: the McNeil and the Poseidon.
Griffiths is now hoping Legacy Bound can frank Zahra’s comparison to Growing Empire by also winning the Poseidon in his first attempt at the Flemington straight.
“I think he’ll suit the straight once he gets some practice,” Griffiths said, “but all horses, whether they adapt to it or not, are vulnerable at the first attempt, so you’ve got to be a bit cautious there.
“You’d think running in a straight line would be easier, but they tend to always be looking for that home turn to change legs and sprint up, and it just doesn’t come.
“So I’ve found most horses running down the straight for the first time can be a bit iffy, and then next time they’re OK.
“I’m hoping he adapts, because I think it’s a place that will really suit him well because he’s a big striding animal. But going in there on Saturday, you’ll be a little uncertain.”
First-look reservations aside, and hoping for dry tracks, Griffiths has the sense Legacy Bound could prove a star as he embarks on a three-pronged Flemington straight mission in the Poseidon, the Danehill Stakes (Gr 2, 1100m) on October 4, and the Coolmore on Derby Day.
“I’ve got a good gut feeling about him – we’ve just got to see it now. This campaign is going to be important to see where he ranks,” said Griffiths, not underestimating the Poseidon opposition.
“Like all races at this time of year, there are no easy ones. It looks a pretty hot field, and a few are going to have a bit of a fitness edge, so let’s see where everyone ranks.”
By black type achievement, Legacy Bound is the first mentioned among Ole Kirk’s four stakes-winners.
King Kirk also showed his potential by winning a Group 3, at his first start in Randwick’s Breeders’ Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) but drowned in a swimming pool accident before he could race again.
O’ Ole is by far Ole Kirk’s highest earner, thanks to her victory in the $3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) at the Gold Coast, and Wyong’s $200,000 lead-up. Those wins assured Ole Kirk of the first season sires’ title, although due to their restricted nature, the filly ranks below Legacy Bound among Ole Kirk’s offspring in official records.
Also topping the first season chart by stakes winners with four – one more than Farnan (Not A Single Doubt) – the eight-year-old Ole Kirk is off to a strong start in his second season. His five winners put him second by that measure to Farnan, while he ranks third by earnings.
Ole Kirk’s early success earned him a fee bump for the current spring – from the $55,000 (inc GST) of his first four serving seasons, to $99,000 (inc GST).
Such events are all in keeping with Griffiths’ expectations for how the winner of the 2020 Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) – Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) double would fare at stud, hence the early support which has brought three Ole Kirks to his stable.
With Vinery’s new top dog being out of a sister to Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) in Naturale, and with those mares being from the uber-successful family of Scandinavia (Snippets), Griffiths felt the young stallion was credentialed to succeed at stud.
“Ole Kirk has the pedigree and the performance to be good,” Griffiths said. “There were three stallions in that family already – Magnus, who we’ve had a lot of success with, All Too Hard, and a young stallion at stud in Hanseatic.
“So we were backing him based on that genetic background.
“Plus, being by Written Tycoon, a champion stallion himself, out of a sister to Black Caviar, there’s so much depth there.
“And Ole Kirk won the right races, like the Caulfield Guineas. He was good at two and better at three and went off to stud.
“Horses with those credentials should make it, and it looks as though he’s going to, and that’s why we bought into him in his first season.
“I think his stock will be harder to buy next year. I’d be keen to buy more and I reckon a lot of people will be thinking the same. So I reckon the market will be pretty strong on him.”
Though Sanaya’s racing highlight among 15 starts was a Kembla Grange maiden win, she fused a quality female family with Ole Kirk.
Legacy Bound’s second dam Astrodame (Flying Spur) won Moonee Valley’s Stocks Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) alongside six Group placings. And the gelding’s fourth dam was the outstanding Midnight Fever (Luskin Star), winner of the 1987 Blue Diamond, three Group 2s, two Group 3s and a Listed.
Griffiths was delighted Legacy Bound became the first horse he trained for Vinery.
And the million-dollar filly who inspired that delivery is looking like another smart representative of Ole Kirk. Superior Dame has had four jump-outs and won them all, and is currently spelling ahead of an expected autumn debut.
“She’s been a bit slower to grow so we’ve been patient with her, but she has looked quite impressive,” Griffiths said.