Before they were famous: King’s Legacy

Story courtesy of TDN Aus/NZ

In this series TDN AusNZ will take a look at Group 1 runners before they were successful on the racetrack; speaking to breeders, breakers and trainers on their formative years.

King’s Legacy

Redoute’s Choice x Breakfast In Bed (Hussonet {USA})

Winner – G1 Moet & Chandon Champagne S. 1600m

Winner – G1 Inglis Sires’ 1400m

Winner – G3 Magic Millions B.J. McLachlan 1200m

TDN AusNZ: What was King’s Legacy like as a foal?

Brian Clarke, Segenhoe Stud: King’s Legacy was a very strong foal with good bone and while not being the biggest foal we had that year he was all quality with a beautiful head and colour.

TDN AusNZ: This was Breakfast In Bed’s second foal, what was the foaling down like?

BC: Thankfully, the foaling was very straightforward!

TDN AusNZ: Can you tell us what he was like as a weanling?

BC: Even as a weanling King’s Legacy had a great attitude and went through our weanling/handling system with relative ease as he was a very intelligent horse who took to everything very quickly.

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TDN AusNZ: Did he have any best friends or paddock mates growing up?

BC: King’s Legacy’s best friend in the paddock actually turned out be fellow 2-year-old stakes-winner Holyfield (I Am Invincible) so it was great to see them progress through the Magic Millions yearling sale together and then perform on the track also.

TDN AusNZ: Could you tell us how King’s Legacy was through his yearling prep? Was he a standout throughout prep? Why?

BC: What stood out the most about King’s Legacy through the yearling prep and also the sale itself was his terrific temperament. He was one of those horses who just handled the whole process with ease but had a cheeky side to his personality which was very endearing.

TDN AusNZ: What do you think of the horse he has become today? Could you foresee his great career some years ago?

BC: King’s Legacy is one of those horses who exudes quality and his performances on the track winning a Group 3 and two Group 1’s as a 2-year-old make him one of the most exciting racing/stallion prospects that we have seen in Australia in a long time. When you add everything together such as looks, physique, pedigree and the fact that he was purchased by astute judge James Harron as a yearling, he was always a big chance to make it as a racehorse but it is very satisfying to see him fulfill that potential and hopefully there is still more to come!

The sales company

TDN AusNZ: What was your first impression of King’s Legacy at the farm visits?

Clint Donovan, Magic Millions: He was reported an absolute star from the people who saw him at the farm. Barry Bowditch, Adrian Hancock and Steph Watkins all absolutely fell in love with him and gave him one of the highest ratings of the year. ‘Superstar’ was bandied around, he was a very obvious Magic Millions type.

CD: He was small to medium and a super mover and just one of those dudes of a colt that just would take everything in their stride. He would have dozens and dozens of parades a day and nothing would bother him, he would just come out the same every time – head down, walk like a machine and just really handled the sale well. His action was to die for.

TDN AusNZ: What do you think is a key attribute of King’s Legacy’s that contributed to his success?

CD: I think his attitude is a big one, you don’t see many good horses with a bad attitude and all of these Group 1 winners that we’re talking about have that same quality just oozing out of them and it’s a personality thing as well as a type.

The buyer

TDN AusNZ: What was it about King’s Legacy that first struck you, either at the on farm visits or at the sale?

James Harron: What first struck me about King’s Legacy was when going through the Magic Millions catalogue and noting his page. Not only is he by a Champion sire and sire of sires in Redoute’s Choice, but he is also closely related to top-class stallions Not A Single Doubt and Snippets through his female family. It really was as good a pedigree profile for a potential stallion as I’ve seen at public auction in recent years, and upon inspecting him at Segenhoe I was delighted to see that the physical matched up beautifully.

TDN AusNZ: Can you please explain him physically as a yearling? What were the key things you saw in him that drove you to purchase him?

JH: The sales complex is where we really narrow down our list and I’m sure Peter O’Brien will have the exact figure, but I would imagine I would have inspected King’s Legacy at least five times there. He was a horse I kept coming back to as a real benchmark for everything else in the sale – in my opinion he was a complete stand out. Physically he is a very quality colt with real style about him, he is a great shape and medium in size like a lot of Redoute’s Choice’s best sons, most notably King’s Legacy’s three-quarter brother Not A Single Doubt.

TDN AusNZ: Can you remember his temperament, and if there were any particular qualities in this respect that helped your decision?

JH: His attitude throughout the sale was faultless and has continued to be the case throughout his career to date. From his time at Kolora Lodge for his breaking in, through his entire time with the Snowdens he has been the consummate professional and shown that essential quality of being able to absorb pressure that is so important in top-class racehorses.