A slick field of three year-olds lined up in the Listed VRC Poseidon Stakes (1100m) at Flemington on Saturday which saw G1 Blue Diamond winner Devil Night again fail to place, while the up and comers Legacy Bound and Navy Pilot fought out the finish.
The Robbie Griffiths trained gelding Legacy Bound was a facile debut winner at Ballarat back in April and then went to Adelaide where he scored a dominant win in the Group III SAJC Breeders Stakes.
Spelled straight after that, he was first up from a spell and despite looking a touch new in the yard the athletic bay had too much quality for his rivals.
Cuddled along by Mark Zahra he hit the front when he needed to and held off a late drive from I Am Invincible colt Navy Pilot, who flew home for a close second.
“He's got a good will to win and he's a horse that you’ve got to ride very smooth and it just worked out nice. He just had to quicken up at 400m when they sprinted and it was a fight late, but he was up for it and he's done a good job to win,” said Mark Zahra.
“He seems to have come on a lot and I think he'll improve a lot with this run today and that was a handy little field that he’s beaten.”
The Group I VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes is the goal for Legacy Bound with the Group II VRC Danehill Stakes in two weeks time his next assignment.
“He's a good horse, and I was really cautious today. As I said pre-race, he’d never been down the straight, and the key runners had had two runs each,” said Robbie Griffiths.
“Ironically, the two first-up horses ran one and two. He's got room to improve and it gives us a lot of excitement now going to the Danial in three weeks and then Coolmore in four weeks later.”
Legacy Bound is a homebred gelding for Vinery Stud that was offered to Robbie Griffiths to train after he earlier purchased an Ole Kirk yearling at the sales and the astute trainer has quickly become a fan of his stock.
Legacy Bound is now three for three with over $200,000 in the bank and is the second winner from three foals to race from Sanaya, a winning More Than Ready (USA) daughter of Group II winner Astrodame.
Sanaya produced a filly by Ole Kirk last year and has foaled this spring producing a filly by Exceedance.
Legacy Bound looks a spring star on the rise for Ole Kirk, whose fee was raised to $99,000 at Vinery Stud where he is busy covering a full book.
