Legarto Provides Historic Victory in Australian Guineas

Proisir has taken the New Zealand racing scene by storm this season, chalking up four individual group 1 winners to lead this year's sires premiership by a near unassailable margin. However, coveted elite-level success in neighboring Australia had thus far proved elusive—until the March Australian Guineas (G1).

One of two fillies lining up in the Australian Guineas, the Ken and Bev Kelso-trained Legarto, a daughter of Proisir, produced a remarkable late surge in an incident-packed race to deny a fairytale result for Mitchell Freedman and Attrition and land the Flemington Classic by a neck.

Rich Hill Stud celebrated a momentous achievement in the race to continue their stellar season, as their stallions provided the first and third home, with Japanese Emperor, who engaged in what appeared to be the tussle for first with Attrition, finishing a half-length from the winner in third.

The success represented a milestone for husband-and-wife partnership Ken and Bev Kelso, who trained their first group 1 winner in Australia.

"She's just an amazing filly, and probably 100 (meters) out, you thought you were going to run fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, to be lucky," said Ken Kelso. "She does things other horses can't do and she's pretty special.

"We weren't going to retire until we got a group 1 in Australia. We've only ever bought group 1 horses over here and we've run about three seconds. It's massive. I just can't believe it."

Kelso said the filly, who won the New Zealand One Thousand Guineas (G1) in November, would return to New Zealand before targeting more Australian riches later this year.

"We'll chat to the owners, but we think as far as we're concerned, she should have a bit of a break and then come back and dream about Cox Plates, Caulfield Cups, that sort of thing."

At one stage, Legarto's passage to victory appeared to have been blocked as Japanese Emperor kept the Mick Dee-ridden filly in a pocket when making her run for home, while a fall on the rails involving the weakening early leader Maximillius and the Cambridge Stud-owned Holymanz somehow resulted in no casualties as both horses returned unharmed.

However, Dee switched inside and found a gap with under 100 meters to run, making up the near two-length deficit on his mount's rivals.

"I thought I was behind a horse that would take me through and keep me out of trouble, but I ended up left in a pocket there for quite some time," Dee said.

"To Legarto's credit, wow—she's got a very, very good turn of foot. To get out when she did and finish over the top of them was an amazing effort.

While both Maximillius and Holymanz emerged unscathed from their falls, Ethan Brown, the rider of the former, was taken to hospital where he underwent surgery in response to internal bleeding issues. Mark Zahra aboard Holymanz was unharmed.

Orr Stakes winner and race favorite Jacquinot, caught at the rear of the field after jumping from gate 11, could only finish sixth.

Legarto's victory marks not only a landmark success for Proisir, but also for New Zealand, with the filly the first horse trained in the country to win the Australian Guineas, which was first run in 1986.

For Proisir, who was heavily backed by Australian buyers at this year's New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka, the result only set to firm confidence in the stallion in the lucrative export market of Australia.

The stallion, who will stand his ninth season at Rich Hill this year, leads the New Zealand sire premiership by nearly AUS$1.6 million as he seeks to break the dominance of perennial champion Savabeel.

Legarto is out of stakes performed Towkay (Last Tycoon) mare Geordie Girl, a half sister to dual-listed winner Kekova and a sister to dual-listed winner and group 1 placegetter Rapid Kay.

Communist Sparks a Revolution for Russian with First Group 1 Winner

Champion first-season sire Russian Revolution earned a first group 1 winner as a stallion when the Michael Freedman-trained Communist struck in Saturday's Randwick Guineas (G1).

The gelding had won to only Benchmark 68 level before his breakthrough victory but had finished second to Golden Mile in the Callander-Presnell Stakes (G2) during the spring.

Jumping from barrier five, leading Hong Kong-based jockey Zac Purton settled his mount fifth in the ten-runner race and was presented with a clear run for home. Although danger loomed from Godolphin's Aft Cabin, who tracked him on his heels, Communist proved too strong, drawing clear to win by a length and a quarter from Lindermann, with Zou Tiger a further neck away in third.

"He's been a problem child for a while, but I'd had a lot of faith in his ability," Freedman said.

Communist, a first-crop son of Russian Revolution, took his record to four wins from ten starts, with Freedman nominating either the Doncaster Mile (G1) or the Rosehill Guineas (G1) as the gelding's next destination.

Bred by China Horse Club, who have remained in the ownership of the horse, Communist was sold for AUS$160,000 through the Sledmere Stud draft at the 2021 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale when purchased by Freedman and his brother Richard.

China Horse Club purchased and raced Russian Revolution in conjunction with Newgate Farm, while Communist's dam Cappadocia was an AUS$90,000 yearling buy for the operation, going on to win twice and be placed at listed level in her eight-start career.

"It's outstanding. It's very rewarding to have bred him, stayed in him and raced him, raced the stallion, the dam, it's the culmination of a long term plan,'' said Michael Smith, head of Australia for China Horse Club.

"We've sent more mares to Russian (Revolution) than anybody in the past four or five years, we really backed him completely as a stallion and it's so satisfying to see him get group 1 winners like this.

"Communist couldn't have won more impressively today. He'll either step up in trip and go to the Rosehill Guineas next in a fortnight or stick to the mile and run as a genuine lightweight chance in the Doncaster.''

Communist is a second foal out of Cappadocia, herself a half sister to group 1 winner Zip Zip Aray.