Legarto underlined her fitness for Saturday’s Bonecrusher NZ Stakes with an impressive gallop at Matamata on Tuesday morning.
After significant rain over the previous two days, the going 25 metres out on the course proper was heavy, but the conditions did not appear to hinder Legarto. With raceday jockey Ryan Elliot in the saddle, she was accompanied by Jolted (Turner) over 1200m in 1:20.5, increasing the tempo to run their last 1000m in 1:05.2 and 600m in 37.6.
Legarto was very strong over the final stages as she edged ahead of her stablemate, and in the words of her rider “could not have worked better”. Having been kept up to the mark with a trial last week, Legarto will be at short odds to add the Ellerslie weight-for-age feature to her last-start Herbie Dyke Stakes win.
Fillies preparing for the rescheduled three-year-old races at Taupo on Friday also impressed in their work. Lowland Stakes candidate Inspired By Art (Bosson) went with Ellerslie runner Choose ’Em Big (B Singh) in a solidly-run 1000m in 1:06.2 and 39, while three-year-old 1400m entry Star Of Justice (Bosson) was paired with Trentham-bound Inca Gold (Colgan) over 1000m in 1:08.8 and 40.1.
Sistema Stakes candidate Savaglee (Mullineaux) was well held in his work with Force Of Law (Jacobsen) over 1000m in 1:19.2, the last 600m in 45.6. Savaglee appears to have trained on well from his Matamata Slipper win. Tightly Laced (Boson) and Valentine (Colgan) prepared for Trentham on Saturday with 800m in 54.4 and 600m in 38.1.
Amberite (Cox) looked ready for the step up to a middle-distance at Ellerslie as he got through bold work over 1200m in 1:20.2, with the last 1000m in 1:06.6 and 600m in a smart 37.9. Stablemate Our Alley Cat (Cox) prepared for Saturday’s Royal Descent Stales with 1000m in 1:10.2 and 40.6.
Ellerslie candidate Toko Ono (Tynan) and Taupo runner Jungle Land (P Singh) strode over 1200m in 1:20.3, 1:05.8 and 40.5, while Desert Mystic (Tynan), another for Ellerslie, worked over the same distance in 1:2.4., 1:08.6 and 41.5.
Darci’s Angel (S Singh) and Therapeutic (Kareem) prepared for their respective Ellerslie and Taupo engagements over 1000m in 1:09.8 and 39.5. The promising maidens Tomodachi (P Singh) and Baggio (Hashizume) looked ready for Taupo as they got through 1000m in 1:11.6 and 40.2, while Taupo debutante Cash Treasure (Simma) followed in similar time.
Molly Bloom (Rastrick), who looks in capital order after a let-up, appeared to enjoy herself in a three-quarter-pace hitout, as did her stablemate Grail Seeker. Molly Bloom is scheduled to trial at Taupo next week ahead of her revised autumn target, the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes, while Grail Seeker will head south for the Wellington Guineas on Saturday week.