Getting to Know Legatissimo

Three-time European Group 1 winner Legatissimo earned a spot in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf with her win in the Matron Stakes. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
Through the years, the Breeders’ Cup has seen some impressive European horses at the event and 2015 figures to be no exception. One such horse headed to the United States in late October is 3-year-old filly Legatissimo.
Impressive in Europe, Legatissimo earned a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf on Sept. 12 when she won the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown in Ireland. Her connections have pointed her to the Breeders’ Cup for her next start, so let’s take a look at this Irish invader to see what her chances look like.
Race Résumé
Bought for $591,565 as a yearling, Legatissimo broke her maiden in her second start before ending her 2-year-old season with a runner-up finish in the Flame of Tara Stakes at a mile. A filly who likes a mile or longer, Legatissimo’s 3-year-old debut this year at seven furlongs didn’t yield an ideal result. The filly finished fourth by 5 1/2 lengths, but from there Legatissimo has turned into one of the top 3-year-old fillies in Europe.
Dropped to a listed stakes for her next start when stretching out to 1 1/8 miles and taking on older horses for the first time, Legatissimo faced two Group 3 winners and a future Group 2 winner. Showing her class, Legatissimo made easy work of the field, with 3-year-old Wedding Vow 3 ¾ lengths behind and the rest of the field much farther back.
Since then, Legatissimo has run only in Group 1 company.
LEGATISSIMO

Dropping back to a mile, Legatissimo shipped to England to take on the QIPCO One Thousand Guineas. With Ryan Moore aboard for the first time, Legatissimo raced at the rear of the field running down the straight mile but inside the two-furlong mark, she started to roll. Leader Lucida gave her the perfect target to aim for, and Legatissimo flew after the other filly. In a driving finish, Legatissimo was able to pass Lucida and had a three-quarter-length lead at the finish line, giving Moore a Guineas double as he had won the Two Thousand Guineas on Gleneagles (who is aiming for the Breeders’ Cup Classic) the day before.
From there, Legatissimo and Moore headed to the Investec Oaks, stretching out to 1 ½ miles. The filly was in midpack this time, although farther behind the leaders than she had been in the Guineas. By the time they entered the stretch, Moore had her closer to the lead but with nowhere to go as she was stuck behind the leaders. Moore found her some racing room with a little less than three furlongs left and she quickly took over. But she wasn’t out of trouble yet with Lady of Dubai staying with her and Qualify closing fast. The end of the race came just a little too late for Legatissimo as she was nipped by a head bob at the line.
Back to her native Ireland, Legatissimo lined up next for the 1 ¼-mile Pretty Polly Stakes 23 days later. Relaxing in midpack again, this time closer than she had raced in the previous two races, Moore started riding her with a little more than three furlongs to go but she wasn’t able to get the lead as easily as in the past. Legatissimo was still running down Diamondsandrubies at the finish line, only a nose behind the winner with the third-place horse a neck behind them.
Legatissimo was able to get back to her winning ways in the Nassau Stakes with jockey Wayne Lordan back aboard after Moore suffered an injury. Again running closer to the pace, Legatissimo showed a strong turn of foot inside the final two furlongs to take the lead and opened up a few lengths on the field. Wedding Vow was able to eat into the lead a little, taking the final margin down to 2 ¼ lengths in Legatissimo’s second Group 1 victory.
In the Matron Stakes, Legatissimo was dropping back to one mile for the first time since the One Thousand Guineas and running on yielding ground for the first time since her 3-year-old debut.
Lordan had her on the outside of the field as they entered the stretch and she easily passed the leading Euro Charline a few furlongs from the finish line with the jockey just pumping him arms a few times to get her to pass. While he used his whip after she got the lead, there didn’t look like there was much danger of her losing the race with Cladocera settling for second by 2 ¼ lengths.
2015 MATRON STAKES

Video courtesy of At The Races
The powerful turn of foot Legatissimo shows should be worrisome for the other horses running in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. As soon as her jockey lets her go, Legatissimo has the ability to get to the front in only a few strides, something that doesn’t give the other jockeys much time to react. The good thing for Legatissimo is that since she can settle closer to the pace, she doesn’t have to worry about threading through too many horses to get to the front like fellow "Win and You’re In" entrant Watsdachances does and she can race outside of horses without getting too bullish.
One small worry is how worked up Legatissimo has gotten before some races, notably the Oaks, but she won’t have as far to travel to get to the gate at Keeneland and her connections can opt for a pony to accompany her, which should help her stay calm.
The 1 3/16-mile distance of the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf will probably feel more like one mile for Legatissimo, who has been running over the tougher European courses, and will be right in her wheelhouse. There are also some worries about weather at Keeneland on Breeders’ Cup weekend but she has won on yielding and good to firm turf so that shouldn’t bother her either.
Pedigree
Legatissimo is by outstanding sire Danehill Dancer, who has sired five champions and been a leading sire in two countries. As of Sept. 28, the stallion has 173 stakes winners and 95 group/graded stakes winners in addition to 129 horses who have at least placed in stakes races for a solid 16-percent of his foals of racing age hitting the board at the highest level of the sport.
The lifetime average-winning distance for Danehill Dancer racehorses is 7.88 furlongs but the average race distance is only 7.98 furlongs, which definitely skews his averages. This year’s stats look better for his routers with the horses racing at an average distance of 9.55 furlongs and winning at an average distance of 9.38 furlongs.
Danehill Dancer sons and daughters have won races around the world, but the sire is missing a Breeders’ Cup victory on his resume. He has had eight runners in Breeders’ Cup races, but the closest his foals have gotten to winning a Breeders’ Cup trophy was a second in the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.
Legatissimo’s female family also has experience at the Breeders’ Cup with her dam’s full-brother (same sire and dam) Fame and Glory running in the now-defunct Breeders’ Cup Marathon in 2012 and their sire, Montjeu, competing in the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Turf. Montjeu has had his offspring run in Breeders’ Cup races seven times with St Nicholas Abbey having the best showing of all of them, winning the 2011 edition of the Turf and finishing third in 2012.
While Fame and Glory didn’t do well on the dirt at the Breeders’ Cup, he was a good representative of the family on the turf as an Irish classic victor and the winner of four other Group 1 races in Europe.
LEGATISSIMO WINS THE MATRON

Legatissimo comes from a strong German family with her third dam a German classic winner who is responsible for 12 stakes winners, including nine group stakes winners outside of Legatissimo’s branch of the family. Adding in Legatissimo’s family, the count rises to 17 stakes winners and 13 group stakes winners that Grimpola’s immediate family has produced.
Legatissimo and Fame and Glory aren’t the only horses who have stamina in the family with two others being high-weighted from a range of seven to 11 furlongs and multiple others winning their group stakes over a route of ground.
In my opinion, there are very few horses pointed at the Filly and Mare Turf who look like they can beat Legatissimo at the moment. If she performs at Keeneland like she has in Europe, it won’t be surprising to see her put on a show on Oct. 31 to give trainer David Wachman his first Breeders’ Cup victory.