Zabeel Classic the highlight on day of superstars at Ellerslie

Legarto is a wonderful mare facing a huge challenge in the Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie today. Photo / Kenton Wright

Ken Kelso is hoping the little things add up to a big thing at Ellerslie today: Legarto winning the $500,000 Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic.

The Matamata mare has been the best backed of the stars in today’s Group 1, shortening from $6.50 to $4.40, surprising for a mare who hasn’t run a place this campaign and only won one race in the past 22 months.

Legarto hasn’t raced much in that time and has had her issues, from physical niggles, to wet tracks and races such as the TAB Mufhasa Stakes last start, which meant a long trip to Trentham for a 1600m trip short of her best.

But Kelso, who trains Legarto with his wife Bev, said today’s version of the $2 million earner will be the telling one.

She has the bar shoes off her front feet, a sign issues in that area are under control.

She has the blinkers off, which were added to wake her up for the 1600m last start but she can find her more natural rhythm over 2000m today.

And Legarto has Ryan Elliot, who has ridden her in eight of her 10 wins, back in the saddle.

“We have no excuses going into this,” Kelso said. “She should be ready to show her best with a few little things behind her.

“She was okay at Trentham but has trialled well since [at Matamata last Friday] and should be near her peak now.

“Ellerslie hasn’t been her favourite track, but in saying that she has gone some good races there so I expect her to stand up on Friday.”

The Zabeel is deep, with punters knowing what they will get from the equine tank El Vencedor and the wonderful mare La Crique, while jockey Opie Bosson is tipping a return to form for Qali Al Farrasha on the right-handed track.

But for all their class, Waitak is a deserved favourite.

He looked half a run short of his peak when second, with La Crique third and Legarto fourth, in the Mufhasa last start and should be bang on for today.

Waitak was dazzling during the spring and his thrashing of El Vencedor under similar circumstances to today in the Livamol in October should be enough to see his price tighten from $2.70 today.

Jockey Craig Grylls is in the best form of his career and realises Waitak’s greatest danger could be traffic concerns when El Vencedor starts to apply the blow torch at the front of the field somewhere around the 600m mark.

That is where the strength of today’s 2000m thriller could help, with a handful of rivals good enough to cart Waitak into a challenging position before he lets loose at the 300m.

The Zabeel is what Group 1 weight-for-age racing should be, our best of the best on a good track with the jockeys to match and an Aussie in Kingswood thrown in for good measure.

By 6pm today we should all know who the best middle-distance horse in the country is.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.