LEGARTO continued the resurgence of New Zealander horses in feature events in Australia over the past year.
They never really went away but there was a time when you could almost discount the form of a Kiwi raider in a feature Australian race.
Not anymore. Look at the results in Australian racing from the feature sprints to the staying three-year-old races in the past year.
Mike Moroney’s sprinting mare Roch ‘N’ Horse seemed to kick start the trend when she won last year’s Newmarket Handicap and she’s back again to defend her crown on Saturday having also won the VRC Sprint Championship last spring.
Sharp ‘N’ Smart won the Spring Champions Stakes for three-year-olds in the spring before he finished second in the Victoria Derby. The Graeme and Deborah Rogerson trained gelding won the New Zealand Derby last Saturday and he’s coming here again for the ATC Derby.
Then there’s the Mark Walker trained Imperatriz who did all bar win when she was grabbed by Artorius in the final stride in the Canterbury Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.
Levante also finished fourth in last year’s Newmarket Handicap and VRC Sprint Championship and she will be in action in Sydney next month.
Her stablemate though, Legarto, from the Ken and Bev Kelso might be the horse to put the Kiwis back at the top next spring.
Her win in the Australian Guineas was remarkable but so were her other wins. Even in her only defeat her effort to finish fourth was outstanding with the run she had.
The Kelso’s have decided to miss the rest of autumn and they will concentrate on the spring. A race such as the Cox Plate may not be beyond her capabilities.
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