News

All Legal's diehard spirit snares Villiers

24th Dec 2012

The Australian - Tony Arrold - Monday, 24 December 2012

The transfer of the Group II Villiers Stakes from its historic venue at Randwick to Warwick Farm -- due to the extensive makeover of the former -- has cost the superbly-bred stallion Al Maher some rare bragging rights.

Al Maher, by Danehill from Redoute's Choice, Platinum Scissors and Manhattan Rain's half sister Show Dancing, recorded a career high in October when his front-running son Fat Al landed the Group I Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick -- distance and venue of the Villiers Stakes.

Al Maher retired to the Emirates Park Stud, Murrurundi, NSW, in the spring of 2005, having made his mark as a high-class miler but with his two major wins at the Epsom-Villiers trip coming at Flemington, in the Group I Australian Guineas and also in the Group III Carbine Club Stakes.

With such an attractive pedigree and a quality race record, he did not want for opportunities in his first year at stud, covering 183 mares at $27,500, far below the $200,000 his three-quarter blood brother Redoute's Choice commanded that spring.

Fat Al and All Legal are among five stakeswinners this year from Al Maher's first foal crop, the other three being Unchain My Heart in the Listed VRC Bagot Handicap (2800m), the Warrnambool Cup winner Dance With Her and the MVRC Summoned Stakes winner Cabernet, who was a close-up fourth of 19 in the Villiers Stakes.

All Legal (pictured as yearling) is the first foal of the Desert Prince mare Azardi. He was bred by Access Bloodstock, Queensland, and offered at the 2008 Inglis Sydney Classic Yearling Sale where he was bought for $25,000 by trainer and former top jockey Kevin Moses, who won the Villiers on King's Ideal (1979).

Azardi, a poor runner who fared no better than a sixth placing in five Victorian country starts at two and three years, has been to the sale ring five times as a broodmare, changing hands for no higher than $20,000 and bringing $16,000 from the Cornerstone Stud when offered most recently, at the 2012 Inglis Easter broodmare sale.

She was not in foal at the time, having All Legal's brother as a mid-December foal of last year.

Azardi's sire Desert Prince was, like Al Maher, a specialist miler and one who mixed it with the best in Europe in 1998 when he carried off the Group I irish 2000 Guineas, the Group I prix du Moulin in France and the Group I Queen Elizabeth Stakes in England.

But while the son of Green Desert and the very fast Flying Fairy was given excellent opportunities at stud, he sadly disappointed.

Azardi was in turn a foal of the Centaine mare San Century, a triple stakes producer of the 2002 Randwick Gimcrack Stakes winner Spurcent (by Flying Spur) and of the Hussonet brothers Glorious Days and Bangalore Bullet.

Glorious Days is a top miler this year in Hong Kong and beat all bar Ambitious Dragon, reigning horse of the year, in the Group I Hong Kong Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin.

With his Villiers Stakes win, All Legal took his record in 33 starts to six wins, four seconds and four thirds for earnings of $590,430.

"I had a vet tell me a few months ago to put him down after we found five chips in his knees . . . but I got a second opinion and they operated and he's won $250,000 since," trainer Moses chortled from the winner's stall.

All Legal's spirit was key to his Villiers Stakes win as the six-year-old bay gelding is below average size and was swallowed up in the 19-strong field into the straight.

But he stormed home to win by a nose from the Refuse To Bend gelding Alma's Fury.