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| Staff Writer |
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Legarto confirmed her strong progress towards the A$10 million Golden Eagle with an impressive victory in the Listed Matamata Cup. The race, which took place over 1600m on Saturday, showcased her dominance and further solidified her claim to the prestigious prize.
The daughter of Proisir, trained by Ken and Bev Kelso, missed a run last week due to a heavy racing surface, but quickly bounced back to win the Cup by 0.80 lengths, holding off Aquacade in the concluding stages. The Golden Eagle, a 1500m race at Rosehill on 4th November, may see Legarto competing against Amelia's Jewel, who has won nine of her eleven starts, including a Group One win in the Northerly at Ascot in December.
If Legarto chooses to go that route, it could set up an exciting clash between the two high-class performers. Amelia's Jewel has remained unbeaten in both of her latest starts in her preparation, winning the Let's Elope and the Stocks, both of which were Group Two races, in September.
Legarto has won seven out of her nine starts, including two Group One wins in the NZ 1000 Guineas over 1600m at Riccarton in November and the Australian Guineas at Flemington in March, displaying her talent to maximum effect in Australia.
“She’s had a really good blow (in the Matamata Cup), so this should clean her up nicely,” Legarto’s regular jockey Ryan Elliot told the LoveRacing NZ Newsdesk. “I’ve never ridden another horse like her, and I think she’s a lot stronger now than she was as a three-year-old. She can carry herself properly now, and she’s so switched on. The penny has finally dropped. Onwards and upwards for her.”
“We’re pretty well on track again now, I think,” added Ken Kelso.
Her rivals in the Golden Eagle have been warned of the threat Legarto will pose in the grand showdown, as evidenced by her latest win and the comments from both trainers and jockeys.
Additionally, the recent dominance of New Zealanders in Australian feature races was exemplified by the impressive performance of Te Akau's Imperatriz in the Gr.1 Moir Stakes, which is still fresh in the memory of racing fans.