Land Legend impressive in ATC St Leger

Yearling purchase Land Legend made the perfect start to his Australian campaign for owner Bon Ho and trainer James Ferguson when capturing the A$500,000 ATC St Leger Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.

The classy three-year-old, who kept good company this season in Britain, was set alight by jockey Tyler Schiller as the field passed the 1400 metre mark. Favourite Cleveland went in pursuit but Land Legend – the youngest horse in the field – had enough in reserve to repel that challenger and win well by almost three lengths.

“He felt like a really nice horse,” said Tyler Schiller. “All credit to his team, James Ferguson, they’ve got the horse over here in great order and kept him up to the mark for this. He said ‘just don’t let him hold his momentum’. He said ‘he’s a really building stayer and he’s definitely got a lot of class about him’. 

“At the 200m he got challenged, he wanted to do a couple of things wrong wanting to lay in, but I thought he was very brave late and in the end he was drawing away from them.”

The son of Galileo was purchased by Avenue Bloodstock on behalf of Bon Ho for €100,000 at the 2021 Arqana August Sale from the draft of Ecurie des Monceaux, who consigned him on behalf of his breeder LNJ Foxwoods. He is the third foal out of the winning Landikusic, a Dansili sister to Group One winner and influential sire Zoffany.