Coolmore Stud's Triple Crown hero, Justify (USA), is hitting the right notes. We witnessed two jaw-dropping performances from his two-year-old colt City Of Troy in the Group II Superlative Stakes at Newmarket and three-year-old filly Opera Singer in the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp.
The Group II Edward Manifold Stakes at Flemington is a prestigious race for three-year-old fillies that looks good on any CV. Justify (USA) has a serious contender in the Peter Moody and Catherine Coleman-trained Legacies.
Legacies has been an honest trouper in an even field that has promised more than it has yet delivered.
The winner of a strong maiden at Cranbourne when on debut in April, Legacies added black-type when romping home in the Listed Anzac Day Stks at Sandown-Hillside a fortnight later.
Off the scene for eighteen weeks, the chestnut filly separated Veight and Little Brose in the Group III McNeil stakes at Caulfield.
At her most recent start, Legacies was a disappointing sixth behind the promising Trapeze Artist colt Griff in the Exford Plate (1400m) at Flemington. There may be a genuine excuse as she pulled up heavy in the wind with poor post-race recovery.
A Rosemont Farm homebred, Legacies is the best of four winners from Abyssinie (IRE), a €180,000 purchase from the Castlebridge consignment at the 2016 Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale.
Bred by the Wildenstein family's Dayton Investments, the daughter of Danehill Dancer finished unplaced in two runs in France.
She can boast some illustrious siblings, being a three-quarter sister to multiple Group I winners Artiste Royale (Hollywood Park Charles Whittingham Memorial H, Oak Tree Clement L Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship) and Aquarelliste (Prix de Diane, Prix Vermeille, Prix Ganay).
Peter Moody has some previous experience with the family, having put the polish on another three-quarter brother to Abyssinie (IRE), Annenkov (IRE).
The Listed VRC Airplane Plate winner, the race after Viewed, claimed the Melbourne Cup for Bart Cummings, Annenkov (IRE), placed in the Group 1 Perth Railway Stakes and Group II CB Cox Stakes.
Abyssinie (IRE) is a daughter of the crack racemare Agathe (Manilla), who won the Group II Prix de Psyché, and was runner-up in the Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, and third in the Group 1 Prix de Diane.
Agathe's half-brother Arcangues won the Group 1 Breeders' Cup Classic and Group 1 Prix d'Ispahan, while Agathe's sister Afrique Bleu Azur produced the Group 1 One Thousand Guineas heroine, Afrique Bleu Azur.
Abyssinie has a yearling filly by Starcraft and was covered by Strasbourg last spring.
