Horse racing: Comeback by Legarto on the right track for Kelso

Legarto will be having her first start since winning the Australian Guineas.

Trainer Ken Kelso says there could be a little bit of I Wish I Win about Legarto when she resumes in a star-studded Tarzino Trophy at Hastings on Saturday.

Legarto will be having her first start since winning the Australian Guineas in March in the $400,000 Group 1 set to run on a good4 track after an unlikely dry spell in Hawke’s Bay.

“We were supposed to get 100ml of rain that never turned up, so the track was just in the slow5 range on Monday night but heading to a good4,” said track manager Richard Fenwick.

“We aren’t forecast to get much if any rain for the rest of the week, so we’re definitely looking at a good4.”

While that will mean Group 1 winner Mustang Valley steers away from the Tarzino to instead head to New Plymouth the following Saturday, the track forecast thrills Kelso.

“That suits us just fine,” said the Matamata trainer.

But Kelso, who trains with wife Bev, says while the track will be perfect, Legarto is going into Saturday with improvement in her.

“She is ready to go back to the

races but without being screwed right down. She is still holding on to the last bit of her winter coat, and while I’m really happy with her, she’s going to improve with the run.

“I watched Peter Moody talking after I Wish I Win [third] resumed in the Memsie the other day and it was a similar situation. He was happy with his horse and knows he will improve but he was beaten by horses who had a run under their belts.

“That could be the case for our mare. She might win but she could also blow out late and be beaten, then be a lot fitter for the Windsor Park Plate three weeks later.”

If Legarto is to be vulnerable, her draw this morning could be crucial, as a good barrier could see her settle handy because she has been beginning well at the trials. But if she draws wider than rivals such as La Crique and Skew Wiff, she could be giving them a start on a firm track that could see closing sectionals recorded that are hard to make ground on.

Legarto and La Crique shared $4 TAB favouritism yesterday but the market should change considerably when the final field comes out around 10.30am today.

One of the problems those mares and the likes of fellow returning Group 1 winners such as Sharp ‘N’ Smart and dual Oaks winner Pennyweka face is the fact some good horses will be fitter than them come Saturday.

Dragon Leap was brilliant winning the Foxbridge Plate last start, and not only has a winter of racing in Queensland, but now two recent starts under his belt, while Skew Wiff and Foxbridge eyecatcher Belclare also have to be fitter for their Te Rapa outings and therefore more advanced than the comeback mares.