Two brilliant three-year-olds cast themselves as potential Guineas winners with victories at Te Rapa yesterday, but only one will get the opportunity to fulfil that promise.
The filly Legarto and gelding Wild Night were stunning winning the Soliloquy Stakes and Sarten Memorial, storming home like horses ready to take outthe classics at Riccarton over Cup week.
But while Legarto will venture south, Wild Night will not, and is heading for a short spell.
Wild Night not only came from last but stormed past his Karaka Million-winning stablemate and favourite Dynastic to make it three wins on end.
But Wild Night won't get his shot at the 2000 Guineas in just two weeks, even though he was the $6 second favourite after yesterday's win.
While some may be shocked by Wild Night not heading to the Guineas, he is a very light-framed horse and didn't look in need of a trip to Christchurch as he left the parade ring after yesterday's win.
Also as a gelding the Group 1 status of the Guineas won't help him later in life, whereas Dynastic is a colt so the Guineas is worth more than a Karaka Mile win.
Legarto remained unbeaten by winning the Soliloquy in dazzling fashion. She was well back starting the last 800m but when rider Ryan Elliot asked her to improve she did so easily and when he hit the turbo button she exploded clear in the fashion of a filly who will love every centimetre of the 1600m in the 1000 Guineas on November 12. She was quickly moved into $1.80 to win the classic.
Legarto is trained by Ken and Bev Kelso for some of the same owners who hold stakes in their freakish mare Levante, and they now find themselves with two massive targets to look forward to in one week.
Levante will resume in the A$2 million Champions Sprint at Flemington on November 5, a week before Legarto attempts to join her stablemate as a Group 1 winner at Riccarton.
