Levakia to fill owners’ void left by retirement of superstar mares

A patient Michael McNab ride with Levakia paid off at Ellerslie today. Photo / Kenton Wright

Philip and Catherine Brown’s colours have been to the fore over the last few years through the deeds of multiple Group 1 winners Levante and Legarto, and while both mares are now retired, the Ancroft Stud principals are excited about the prospects of another.

Like Levante and Legarto, four-year-old mare Levakia is by Rich Hill Stud stallion Proisir and has been handled by Matamata trainers Ken and Bev Kelso. While not in the same class as her stable predecessors, she has shown plenty of ability on the track, winning four of her 18 starts prior to heading to Ellerslie on Easter Saturday to contest the Auckland Co-op Taxis 2200.

From her outside draw in the nine-horse horse field, Levakia was taken back to settle at the rear of the pack by jockey Michael McNab, and the pair stalked their rivals throughout.

Levakia still had all before her at the top of the home straight, but McNab found a passage between runners and Levakia shot through to capture the lead with 150m to go and drew clear in the concluding stages to win by 1¾ lengths over Khan Hunter, with Rusty Lane and Hezashocka locked in a dead heat for third.

The Browns were on course to cheer home their mare and they were rapt to be back in the winners’ circle at Ellerslie, where a month earlier they welcomed back Legarto after she won her career swansong in the Group 1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m).

“I am getting to like Ellerslie a lot more, we are going well here now,” Philip Brown said. “It is a lovely track and it was a lovely ride by Michael.

“I thought they were running at a good clip and he has ridden her patiently, then he went to the inside and found the gaps.

“I think there is a good race in her, she has just taken a while to mature. Ken and Bev have done a great job with her and I think Ken is thinking about putting her out after this one, so we will just wait and see.”

Meanwhile, Brown will head to the Gold Coast next month to watch Legarto go through the Magic Millions’ Broodmare Sale, and he said it will be a bittersweet occasion to farewell the mare who won 12 races, including five at Group 1 level, and more than $3.1 million in prizemoney.

“She is going to the Gold Coast sales, so hopefully one of the big two or three [breeders] will be involved,” Brown said. “It will be exciting but with mixed emotions. The sale is on the 26th, so all the team are going over.”

While farewelling one of his star mares, Brown will be welcoming back another at the start of next year.

“Levante will be coming home in January, so I have one to have a look at on the farm,” Brown said. “That will be great.”

– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk