Ferguson hatching Bendigo Cup plan with classy Land Legend
Trainer James Ferguson is now eyeing lofty goals with Land Legend (Galileo) after the gelding made an instant impression on his first start on Australian soil when he landed last Saturday’s St Leger Stakes (2600m) at Randwick.
The three-year-old made the most of an inspired mid-race move from Tyler Schiller to post a cosy two-and-three-quarter length victory over fellow European import Cleveland (Camelot), soaring past the post in a track record time of 2:39.87.
“I did expect a big run, but I didn’t expect him to break the track record. We knew that staying a trip would never be a problem for him, I think the race worked out very well for him,” Ferguson told ANZ Bloodstock News from his Newmarket base earlier in the week.
“The only instruction I gave Tyler Schiller was to not turn it into a sprint and he did a wonderful job, making a move halfway round and people at the time probably thought he was mad, but I was relieved that he did it, because the pace had really slowed up and it wouldn’t have suited our horse to come off a sprint.
Purchased by Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock for €100,000 at the Arqana October Yearling Sale in 2021 and owned by one of the trainers’ big supporters, Bon Ho, Land Legend arrived in Australia with one win to his name and Ferguson admitted he had never quite shown what he was truly capable of in Europe.
“I had always liked the horse at home, but I don’t think we saw the proper Land Legend here in England,” he said. “If you look back at the King George V Handicap at Royal Ascot he was very unlucky in running – he missed the start and got caught up in trouble late. I feel if he had run a big race in that, I feel like he would have been taken slightly more seriously here.
“The girls down there have done a wonderful job looking after him and he has obviously flourished down in Australia.”
While Land Legend’s future ultimately lies with trainer Chris Waller, Ferguson and his team will have one last hurrah as the gelding’s custodians, with the trainer revealing the four-year-old will have his final run for the stable in the Bendigo Cup (Gr 3, 2400m) on November 1.
“He has come out of the race well and is now in Melbourne, where we are hoping to run him in the Bendigo Cup. He won’t be running in the Melbourne Cup,” said Ferguson. “This is a very recent plan. We thought we would do the one run and leave him down there, but Bon has kindly let us run him again.”
Ferguson is no stranger to the Australian racing scene, having prepared Deauville Legend (Sea The Stars), another of Bon Ho’s horses, to finish fourth in last year’s Melbourne Cup. But even before taking on his own licence, he travelled to Australia to oversee the training of subsequent Bendigo Cup winner Francis Of Assisi (Danehill Dancer) and Sydney Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) triumphant Polarisation (Echo Of Light) for his former boss, Godolphin’s Charlie Appleby.
Ferguson believes Land Legend will continue to thrive in the country and will develop into a quality stayer in the future.
“I think he will continue to develop and get better and better. Obviously, the decision is still very much Bon Ho’s and Chris’ as to his future targets, but after the Randwick win, and although it is going to be a far more competitive race, I think he has Sydney Cup written all over him,” Ferguson said.
Alongside Land Legend, Ferguson will also be represented by Canberra Legend (Australia) in the coming weeks, with the Bon Ho-raced four-year-old’s main aim the $750,000 Rosehill Gold Cup (2000m) on November 4.
The trainer will leave for Australia next Friday and is looking forward to returning, especially to saddle horses owned by Bon Ho.
“Bon Ho is a wonderful man and he has been a loyal supporter of ours for the last couple of years and for that we are incredibly grateful,” he said.
“Hopefully he will enjoy having horses with us for the foreseeable future. He is a very kind man to train for and I owe him a lot, he has given me some of my best and most memorable wins.”