Legarto peaking at right time for spring Grand Final at Ellerslie

Legarto (left) is one of the favourites for the Livamol at Ellerslie on Saturday. Photo / Kenton Wright

Trainers Ken and Bev Kelso believe their Group 1-winning mare Legarto is ready to fire in Saturday’s $550,000 Livamol Classic at Ellerslie following a pleasing piece of work at Matamata on Tuesday.

“She worked nice this morning on the course proper with Quintessa. Vinnie [Colgan, jockey] was quite happy with her work,” Ken Kelso said.

Waikato’s wet spring hasn’t been ideal for Legarto’s preparation, with the daughter of Proisir finishing sixth in the Group 1 Proisir Plate (1400m) at Ellerslie first-up before going one better in last month’s Group 1 Howden Insurance Mile (1600m) at Te Rapa.

“We have been playing catch-up with the wet tracks,” Kelso said. “It has been pretty hard going getting the work into them with the conditions that we have had in the Waikato, it has been pretty wet.

“I thought her first two runs were pass marks. We struck that wet track at Te Rapa when she ran fifth in the Howden and I thought that was an okay run.

“She will appreciate getting back on to a better track at Ellerslie, so hopefully we are tracking in the right way. Her work this morning indicated that we are on track for a nice run on Saturday.”

Meanwhile, the stable’s star sprinter Alabama Lass has returned home from her Melbourne preparation where she finished runner-up in the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) at The Valley before dropping out to finish last in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m).

“We think she might have flipped her palate, that’s all we could put it down to,” Kelso said. “Craig [Williams, jockey] said she was travelling really well at the half-mile and then at the 600m, she started to hang and lose her action and he thought something was amiss.

“We initially thought she may have fibrillated, but her heart seemed okay. All we can put it down to is she might have flipped her soft palate because he said she made a little bit of a noise.

“But she has trotted up sound and she has been checked out since she has been home and everything seems in order.”

Alabama Lass will now spend some time in the paddock before targeting the Group 1 Sistema Railway (1200m) at Ellerslie on Karaka Millions night in January.

“We just decided there wasn’t anything around for her until the Railway, so she has gone out for a brief spell and then she will come back and be set for that,” Kelso said.

All going to plan, Kelso is keen to return to Australia next year, where he feels like there is still some unfinished business following the anticlimactic end to her spring preparation.

“I think she is good enough to go back there and have another crack at a Group One after running second in the Moir,” he said.

“It gives you the confidence to go back. We will just put a line through the run in the Manikato.”

– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk