The Les Bridge-trained grey Celestial Legend came with a brilliant late run at Rosehill Gardens to secure the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes 2024 in style on Saturday.
2024 Hobartville Stakes winner Celestial Legend is onto the Group 1 Randwick Guineas. Photo: Steve Hart.
The classy Dundeel colt continued his good strike-rate at the Rosehill track improving on a fifth fresh at Randwick in the Group 3 Eskimo Prince to claim glory in the $400,000 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) ahead of potentially tougher targets this Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.
Second-up with the fitness edge, Celestial Legend ($8.50) was given a perfectly timed ride by jockey Kerrin McEvoy who got out at the right time on the straight.
With 150m to travel the eventual Hobartville Stakes winner moved up, took the lead, and drew away for a commanding 1.89 length victory in the important Randwick Guineas lead-up.
“He’s a good horse and in six months he’ll be three or four lengths better,” winning trainer Bridge told Sky Racing Thoroughbred.
“Deep down I felt the same as I felt with (Everest winner) Classique Legend, this bloke is nearly as good.”
In second having chipped away well throughout was Gary Portelli’s always-honest Golden Rose runner-up from the spring, Encap ($6.50), who went one better than his first-up third in the Eskimo Prince.
Rounding out the Hobartville Stakes trifecta a further length back third for Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott was Les Vampires ($9.50) who also looks set for a good campaign ahead in similar grade autumn races.
The Hobartville is a key lead-up to the Group 1 $1 million Randwick Guineas (1600m) held over the mile on March 9.
“He’s always promised a lot and Les (Bridge) and his team have been saying that he’s a really good horse in the making,” McEvoy said after his winning ride.
“We’ve probably been saying for a little while that we thought 1400m is going to be a sweet spot for him and hopefully a mile, so it was nice to see him do that today.
“It was nice to see him be in really good order and be switched on before the race.
“He had a good start and I said to the guys before I went out ‘the start is key.’
“If he begins well and I can get in front of a few of the horses that I deemed as slower opposition, it was going to be beneficial and that’s how it worked out.
“He was bouncing in the yard which is good to see because he’s a bit of a cruisy fella. I was happy to see that and I hadn’t been on his back at the races for a little while.”
The Autumn Sun (2019) was the last three-year-old to complete the Hobartville Stakes – Randwick Guineas double.
After his dominant Group 2 success, Celestial Legend has firmed right into $4.50 second favouritism behind Chris Waller’s multiple Group 1 winner Militarize ($3.50) in all-in Randwick Guineas 2024 betting at Ladbrokes.com.au that can be accessed in full here.
2024 Hobartville Stakes Results & Finishing Order
| Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Penalty | Starting Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | CELESTIAL LEGEND | Les Bridge | Kerrin McEvoy | 10 | 56.5kg | $8.50 | |||
| 2 | 2 | ENCAP | Gary Portelli | Jason Collett | 1.89L | 11 | 56.5kg | $6.50 | ||
| 3 | 12 | LES VAMPIRES | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Joshua Parr | 2.84L | 1 | 56.5kg | $9.50 | ||
| 4 | 11 | FUKUBANA | Matthew Dunn | James McDonald | 3.31L | 5 | 56.5kg | $7 | ||
| 5 | 1 | TOM KITTEN | James Cummings | Nash Rawiller | 3.48L | 4 | 56.5kg | $3.20F | ||
| 6 | 8 | CEOLWULF (NZ) | Joseph Pride | Sam Clipperton | 3.79L | 9 | 56.5kg | $18 | ||
| 7 | 3 | GANBARE | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Tim Clark | 4.54L | 7 | 56.5kg | $26 | ||
| 8 | 5 | DUCASSE | Michael Freedman | Tommy Berry | 5.82L | 2 | 56.5kg | $8.50 | ||
| 9 | 10 | CAFE MILLENIUM | John O’Shea | Zac Lloyd (a) | 5.85L | 6 | 56.5kg | $31 | ||
| 10 | 9 | FLYING TRAPEZE | Gary Portelli | Dylan Gibbons (a) | 7.27L | 3 | 56.5kg | $31 | ||
| 11 | 6 | HEMAN | Peter & Paul Snowden | Tyler Schiller | 7.35L | 8 | 56.5kg | $26 | ||
| 12 | 4 | RAF ATTACK (NZ) | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Regan Bayliss | 7.54L | 12 | 56.5kg | $19 | ||
| 13 | LAST STRAW | John Sargent | Tom Sherry | 0 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
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