Legarto confirmed for Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale

New Zealand’s four-time Group 1-winning mare Legarto (Proisir) has been confirmed as an entry at the 2026 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in May, where she will be offered by Brian Nutt’s Attuga Stud.

Last Saturday, the daughter of Proisir (Choisir) came from second-last at the 800-metre mark to impressively win her second Herbie Dyke Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) at Te Rapa, her 11th win in total.

Legarto famously won the Australian Guineas at Flemington in 2023, and during the same season also captured the New Zealand 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m), Eight Carat Classic (Gr 2, 1600m) and Soliloquy Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m).

She will race once more at the elite-level in the New Zealand Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) at Ellerslie on March 7, before connections decide if a possible Australian target is added before she heads to auction.

“We put her out in the paddock after getting home from the races, but it took a while to catch her when I went out to put her cover on later on,” co-trainer Ken Kelso said this week.

“That tells me she’s taken no harm from the race, so the Bonecrusher [Stakes] is the obvious next target for her.

“Beyond that we’ll have to talk things through. We’ve already decided this is her final preparation, but if she was to go well at Ellerslie we could perhaps look at a race like the Australian Cup.”

The star mare will go under the hammer on day one of the sale on May 26.

“We’ve already arranged for her to go to Brian Nutt at Attunga Stud to be prepared for the sale,” proud part-owner Philip Brown said.

“Being a partnership, public auction is the proper way to realise her true worth. As a multiple Group 1 winner, including one in Australia, she’s obviously a valuable mare, so it’s going to be an interesting exercise.

“That was probably the most emotional win of all on Saturday – to see her bounce back after some had begun to doubt her, Opie [Bosson] getting his 100 [Group 1 wins] and another big win for Ken and Bev – it was special,” Brown added.

Savvy Hallie set for Light Fingers

Brad Widdup is anticipating a rematch with star filly Apocalyptic (Extreme Choice) when Savvy Hallie (Hellbent) steps out in Saturday’s Light Fingers Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Randwick. Savvy Hallie stamped herself as one of the better fillies of her generation at two before returning in the spring with a dominant maiden win and a victory in the Silver Shadow Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m). Her last campaign concluded with a third placing behind Apocalyptic in the Furious Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m). The filly resumed in the $3 million The Sunlight (1100m) at the Gold Coast on January 10, finishing fourth behind Grafterburners (Graff), with Widdup confident the rise back to 1200 metres will play to her strengths. "That sort of race, they ran 1.02, it was a quick, high pressure sprint race," the trainer said. "I think she's looking for 1200 [metres] or further possibly now. She's come through that really well though, she had a jump-out last week, had a gallop Tuesday morning and seems to be in really good order." Widdup concedes turning the tables on Flight Stakes winner Apocalyptic will be a challenge, but believes Savvy Hallie is well placed to be competitive ahead of a potential Surround Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) tilt later in the month. "I think she'll be better suited to the sort of speed over 1400 [metres], and she can race up on the speed," Widdup said. "Look, Apocalyptic is very good, there's no two ways about it, and she seems to have trialled really well, but my filly has done nothing wrong. Circumstances in The Sunlight just didn't suit her at all so out to 1200 metres, against her own sex, she should be competitive."

Apocalyptic on Coolmore Classic path

Meanwhile, the Michael Freedman-trained Apocalyptic could follow in the footsteps of Lady Shenandoah (Snitzel) and tackle the older mares in the Coolmore Classic (Gr 1, 1500m) this autumn. The filly, who returns this weekend in the Light Fingers Stakes, will first be aimed at the Surround Stakes at the end of the month. “Where we go from there probably depends on how she runs in the Surround,” Ben Willis from MyRacehorse told Racing.com on Tuesday. “Whether she goes to the Coolmore Classic, like Lady Shenandoah did as the three-year-old filly last autumn, or do we drop her back to a 1200-metre event, later in the Sydney carnival?” Apocalyptic has won three from five and was narrowly denied by Ole Dancer (Ole Kirk) in the Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) last spring. “I think, fundamentally, she’s a 1200 to 1400 metre horse,” Willis said. “Seven furlongs is probably her sweet spot, but I think a genuinely run 1200 will be fine, as well. She’ll do the Light Fingers this week, then hopefully progress on to the Surround Stakes, which is a Group 1. It’ll be an exciting event because she will come up against Ole Dancer, who beat her in the Thousand Guineas, as well as Tempted, who looks very good. That should be a really good race.”

Beiwacht set for Godolphin clash

Chris Waller and Godolphin have sent Beiwacht (Bivouac) to Melbourne to gain experience down the Flemington straight ahead of a potential overseas campaign later in the year. Beiwacht is set to line up in Saturday’s Black Caviar Lightning (Gr 1, 1000m) at Flemington, where he will clash with fellow Godolphin three-year-old, the Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained Tentyris (Street Boss). Both colts are also slated to contest the Newmarket Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m) on March 7 and could be bound for a possible trip to Royal Ascot in June. The pair met previously down the Flemington straight in the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) last November, when Tentyris prevailed and Beiwacht finished fourth. That performance followed Beiwacht’s explosive Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) victory at Rosehill in September. Waller said the colt was ready to go after a positive gallop at Flemington last week. "Darren [Beadman] went down to watch it, and he gave us a glowing report," the trainer said. "Everyone is happy. We need him in form and we need him used to straight racing. We will let him run his race, not worry too much about other things. We will get him into a good rhythm and let him find his pace he's comfortable with. I think that's what we have to do with him, he showed that in the Golden Rose. Let him use his speed but harness that speed, a little bit like Nature Strip. He's not as free going, but we've just got to get it right." Waller said a similar approach was used with Home Affairs (I Am Invincible), who won the Lightning after his Coolmore Stud Stakes victory, before heading overseas. "To get him ready for the Newmarket, they need to have a run first so it might as well be up the straight," Waller said. "It could have been in the Eskimo Prince [in Sydney], but he's won his Group 1, so I'll keep him there and give him a chance to learn about straight racing."

Maher to chase second Lightning Stakes win

Ciaron Maher will chase his second Lightning Stakes victory at Flemington on Saturday, where he’ll be represented by last year’s third placegetter Benedetta (Hellbent) and speedy filly Military Tycoon (Written Tycoon). On Benedetta’s chances, Maher’s assistant trainer Jack Turnbull told Racing.com: “She’s prepped up really well. She’s had that longer build up at Fingal now which is the point of difference for us to have her. Although the 1000 metres is the bottom of her trip, she’s going really well, she looks a treat and whatever she does over 1000 metres in that small field on Saturday, she will improve” Of Military Tycoon Turnbull said: “She’s a fast filly and is a winner down the straight. With the weight relief of having 53.5 kilograms, we thought it was a good opportunity to miss the Peter Le Grand Stakes and target this race. I know it’s a class field for quality”

Sheza Alibi unlikely for Australian Guineas

Sheza Alibi’s (Saxon Warrior) Australian Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) campaign is in serious doubt after co-trainer Peter Moody confirmed a significant change to the filly’s autumn schedule. Speaking to Racing.com on Tuesday morning, Moody revealed the early Guineas favourite will not resume on Saturday as planned, making her participation in the Group 1 feature at Flemington on February 28 highly unlikely. “I’ve just had a chat with the ownership group of Sheza Alibi, Mr Fred Noffke, and we are not going to run her on Saturday which makes it highly unlikely she will take her place in the Australian Guineas,” Moody said. “It’s more than likely she will run in the Armanasco Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday week en route to the Randwick Guineas [March 7]. I just thought another week. She’s a filly that carries good condition. She worked super [on Tuesday morning] but just had a little bit more of a blow than I thought. She looks very well but maybe just a tad too well, so we made the decision.” Moody said Sheza Alibi could even be delayed further, with the Surround Stakes at Randwick on February 28 an option should she require more time. “I don’t think she’ll have a deep autumn,” he said. “Our plan was to probably have two runs in Victoria and probably spell her because she’s had a long spring, but I never say never.” Moody also confirmed his Thousand Guineas winner Ole Dancer will resume on Saturday, with the filly holding nominations for a pair of Flemington contests: Desirable Stakes (Listed, 1400m) and Frances Tressady Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m). “Ole Dancer, she will take her place in one of those races on Saturday en route to the Surround Stakes,” Moody said. “She’s pulled up a little cleaner in the wind and is certainly ready to go to the races this weekend.”

Oakleigh Plate winner Queman dies

Star South Australian sprinter Queman (Mint Lane) has died at the age of seven after succumbing to a battle with illness on Tuesday morning. The 2024 Oakleigh Plate (Gr 1, 1100m) winner had been battling colic at Morphettville’s Equine Clinic since symptoms showed more than a week ago. Shane Oxlade, who trained the gelding in partnership with daughter Cassie, said the loss was a tough pill to swallow. “It’s just devastating,” Oxlade told Racing.com. “It’s just all happened fairly quickly and it came from absolutely nowhere. I think us and Boof [Francis Smith – owner and breeder] were hoping he’d be able to spend the rest of his days in a paddock – that's what he deserved, but it wasn’t to be. He was a tough horse and typically he was tough right until the end, but sadly this was a fight he just couldn’t win.” That toughness was on display in what would ultimately be Queman’s final win when he repelled all challengers to take out the Behemoth Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) back in August off a 69-week injury enforced break in what was a huge performance from both horse and trainers. Queman’s Oakleigh Plate win was the first elite-level victory for the father and daughter duo, and Oxlade said it would be a lifelong memory. “It was a career highlight for sure, doing it with Cassie and with that horse was very special,” he said. Queman won ten of his 26 starts and banked more than $1 million in prize-money for connections along the way.

Navy Ensign seeking breakthrough win

Navy Ensign (U S Navy Flag) will look to shed his maiden status when he lines up at Te Aroha on Wednesday in a mega maiden over 1150 metres. The gelding has shown consistent promise in four starts, finishing runner-up on multiple occasions to smart performers, including his debut behind Well Written (Written Tycoon). Murray Thompson believes the gelding’s form stacks up strongly. “He has got to be the best maidener in the country,” the trainer said. “The horses beating him, you have got to look at the form behind them, it is just unreal. In his debut behind Well Written, we were three and four wide, we had the toughest run in the race that day and it was a really good run. We didn’t have much luck in our third start [behind Lyin' Eyes], we were three-wide the trip, and last start [behind Khaleesi] we rode him upside down, we wanted to take luck out of the equation, it didn’t suit him, plus he was feeling the ground.” Navy Ensign has enjoyed a short freshen-up since his last start at Tauranga in December, with Thompson pleased by how the gelding has responded. “I gave him a couple of weeks off after Tauranga, he was just feeling the track a little bit. The two weeks off has just done him so good, he has come back really well. His work on Saturday was very good, so we are expecting a good run as usual.” Thompson said stakes options are under consideration should Navy Ensign break through on Wednesday. “I have pencilled in the Wellington Guineas, but if he won and won well I would probably look at headquarters [Ellerslie] on Saturday week in the Uncle Remus, but he would have to win to warrant going there. He is going to get better with time. He put on muscle and a little bit of weight in the two weeks off. In six months to a year he is going to be doing wonders.”

Single Red seeking Oaks redemption

Last Saturday’s David & Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic (Gr 2, 2100m) proved a fork in the road for a pair of Andrew Forsman-trained fillies earmarked for Oaks ambitions. The race was won impressively by the Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Ohope Wins (Ocean Park), who swamped Forsman’s gallant runner-up Single Red (Vanbrugh) late in the piece. While Single Red is set to renew her rivalry with Ohope Wins in the New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) at Ellerslie on February 21, it was an end of prep run for well-regarded stablemate Chilling Out (Savabeel), who raced ungenerously throughout to finish tenth. “Chilling Out raced like a horse that’s just come to the end of it for this season,” Forsman’s racing manager Joe Walker said. “We really do like her and we think with a good spell now, we're going to reap the benefits with her as a four-year-old and onwards. Single Red was a super effort on Saturday. She's a nice progressive filly, and we will still be heading to the Oaks. It was a strong run considering she was stepping up to 2000 metres for the first time. They went hard enough and she was exposed quite quickly into the straight, so she probably had every right to knock-up. It's taken a very good one to beat her, but we are impressed by her effort and looking forward to the Oaks.”

Headgear applied to Mary Shan

Andrew Forsman’s quality mare Mary Shan (Almanzor) will have headgear applied when she tackles the Lisa Chittick Champagne Stakes (Listed, 1400m) at Matamata on Saturday. “We're going to put blinkers on,” Forsman’s racing manager Joe Walker said. “We thought her run the other day at Ellerslie was very good [when third on Karaka Millions night]. She just hit that flat spot turning for home and picked herself up and was up on the winner’s heels as they crossed the line.” There are also still cards to play for a pair of the stable’s highly rated two-year-olds, with Lassified (Stay Inside) returning from Sydney after racing with little luck in the Inglis Millennium (RL, 1100m), while debut winner Stromlinien (Almanzor) has had a brief break after her tenth placing in the Karaka Millions 2YO (RL, 1200m). “Lassified flew home on Monday, so she's going to have a week in the paddock and then we'll reassess,” Walker said. “There are some nice black type options later on in the season. We were happy with her effort on Saturday. The race just didn't quite work out, we couldn't land in a handy position and she was amongst them for the first time in her racing career. She picked herself up and found the line well considering, and the Sistema Stakes on Champions Day could be an option for her. Stromlinien had a little break after Karaka Millions night. It was only her second start and the lack of raceday experience showed on that occasion. She had a week in the paddock after the race but she's back in work now. She's in good order and she'll be aimed at Manawatu Sires’ Produce at Trentham in March.”

Thurlow set for first Matamata sortie

In more than three decades training Bill Thurlow has yet to race a horse at Matamata, but that’s about to change with two stable members entered for the eastern Waikato venue’s biggest ever meeting on Saturday. The Waverley-based horseman, who since the start of the season has been training in partnership with former jockey Sam O’Malley, is scheduled to head north with Frank The Tank (Burgundy) and Wire Rope (Darci Brahma). Both are entered for the $350,000 Comag Wairere Falls Classic (1500m), while Wire Rope has a contingency nomination for the Rating 75 (1600m) on the undercard. Off his rating of 79, Frank The Tank will safely make the 14-horse cut for the Wairere Falls Classic, however with two less rating points Wire Rope is just outside the limit. “I’d love them both to get a start, but we might need a bit of luck with Wire Rope,” Thurlow said. “It’s not often you get the chance to race for this sort of money with mid-grade horses, so we’ll have to keep our fingers crossed there. The forecast for a bit of rain later in the week should play into their hands, as they both like a bit of cut in the ground. Frank The Tank had some issues with his feet in the spring and that held him up, and he needed the run when he finished fifth at Waverley last week. He was a bit burly for that but his work since has been good, so I figure he’s about where he needs to be. Wire Rope has been racing very well [for two wins and second from his last three starts], so it would be good to see him get his chance. The other race is still worth a crack, so I’m looking forward to heading up there. From memory I took a jumper up to Matamata years ago but I think they ended up calling the races off, so this will be my first try there.”

HK: Ka Ying Rising excels in barrier trial lead-up to Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup

As is becoming customary in the build-up to sprint superstar Ka Ying Rising’s (Shamexpress) races, his trainer David Hayes declared himself delighted with a routinely impressive showing in a Sha Tin barrier trial on Tuesday. As the meteoric five-year-old prepares to tackle 1400 metres for only the second time in his bid to make history with an 18th consecutive win in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (Gr 1, 1400m) on February 22, Hayes said he wanted to see him able to “switch off” in the early stages. It was mission accomplished as the gelding effortlessly stopped the clock in 1m 08.03s – his fastest 1200-metre trial time to date. “He broke one [minute], eight [seconds], and I don’t think Zac [Purton] was doing too much on him. He had a nice healthy blow,” Hayes said. “We just let him relax in the first part of the trial, practising for 1400 [metres] in a couple of weeks. And, gee, I like the way he responded. He just took a sit, easy, and then Zac strode up, and he won, as you’d expect.”

HK: Hayes chases third straight winner as championship duel heats up

Momentum is building for David Hayes in the trainers’ championship who will send seven runners to Happy Valley on Wednesday as the battle with Mark Newnham continues. The two are separated by the slenderest of margins at the top of the standings with Newnham on 35 winners for the season, and last season’s runner-up Hayes on 34. Hayes, a two-time Hong Kong champion trainer, has closed the gap on his compatriot in recent weeks, outscoring Newnham by 12 wins to nine since the turn of the year. He’ll be aiming for winners at a third consecutive meeting on Wednesday, and his best hope of doing so may lie in Bienvenue (Star Turn), who makes a return in the first section of the Class 3 Sam Chuk Handicap (1200m). The four-year-old is back on the track after more than three months out, having been found to have bled following a disappointing run on November 5. “He was a good, consistent horse at the start of the season,” said Hayes of the five-year-old, who had recorded two wins and two seconds from five runs before his most recent start. “He’s had a really nice, slow build-up – a couple of trials. And his work after the trials was solid. So, we’re pleased to have Zac [Purton] on him, even though it’s a bit of an awkward gate [barrier ten].” Hayes believes Bienvenue has plenty of room for improvement from his current rating of 68. “I would have said at the start of the season, he’s similar to Romantic Son, and he’s mid-80s now. So, there’s a bit of room for him.”