Golden target for ‘outstanding’ Celestial Legend
Ageless trainer Les Bridge has an ominous warning for Sydney spring carnival aspirants, especially those targeting the $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m): Celestial Legend (Dundeel) has come back bigger, stronger and better than even in his all-conquering autumn.
All going well, he could also be targeted at the Hong Kong Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) in December. And he could also be headed for an audacious autumn bid for the rare double of the Doncaster Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), potentially packing his CV to overflowing for a future stud career.
Celestial Legend returns as a four-year-old stallion in Saturday’s Theo Marks Stakes (Gr 2, 1300m), having emerged last campaign not only as possibly the finest son of Dundeel (High Chaparral) yet, but one of the most exciting horses in the country.
Bred by his sire’s stud Arrowfield, the grey budding superstar was bought for $220,000 at Inglis Classic 2022 to become part of Hong Kong owner Bon Ho’s team of “Legend” gallopers – 19 of whom are among the 24 horses on the books at Bridge’s Randwick stable.
Celestial Legend began last autumn as the fairly unremarkable winner of one of his four starts, and resumed with a moderate fifth of eight in Randwick’s Eskimo Prince Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m).
After that he exploded into star status, winning the Hobartville Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m), the Randwick Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m), and the Doncaster – a hat-trick which rocketed his rating from 77 to 110.
The sequence also earned him second place amongst Dundeel’s 30 stakes-winners. And with the top-ranking triple Group 1 winner Militarize now at stud, there’s a strong chance Celestial Legend will soon become the undisputed star offspring of the 15-year-old stallion, who’s standing this spring for $88,000 (inc GST) – up from $82,500 last season and $66,000 the previous four.
After the Doncaster, Bridge declared Celestial Legend the best horse he’s trained. That’s some statement considering his past stable stars include Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) victor Sir Dapper (Vain), triple Group 1 winner Drawn (Star Shower), Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) hero Kensei (Blarney Kiss), and 2020 Everest winner Classique Legend (Not A Single Doubt).
Now, the 86-year-old trainer is even more impressed with his four-year-old, tipping he’ll be in for a huge spring – which would coincide with Arrowfield about to welcome his full sibling.
“He’s come back a lot bigger, taller and stronger,” Bridge told ANZ Bloodstock News. “He’s a stallion now, so he’s starting to fill out.
“As they get older, they’ve got to get stronger if they’re going to make the grade, don’t they? And physically, he’s really progressed.
“He only ran fifth first-up last campaign, but he didn’t have much luck and was stuck on the inside, where it was no good that day.
“But I think he’ll run well first-up this time. He’ll go close. This time it’s 1300 metres, which I’d prefer to 1200 [metres].”
Celestial Legend has had two easy barrier trials leading into the Theo Marks, running fourth in smart sprinting company over 850 metres and 900 metres. The first was won by Golden Slipper queen Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon), while in the second he finished 2.6 lengths off Everest winner Giga Kick (Scissor Kick).
“He went alright,” Bridge said. “He was just two lengths below those Everest horses for speed, and they were only half-mile trials and he wants at least 1400 metres or 1500 metres.”
The latter distance is of course the trip for the Golden Eagle – at Rosehill on November 2 – for which Celestial Legend currently shares $4.50 favouritism with Chris Waller’s Joliestar (Zoustar) and Japanese galloper Ascoli Piceno (Daiwa Major).
“I’m setting him for the Golden Eagle,” Bridge said. “It’s worth $10 million, so I’m going to have a shot at it. He’s won over a mile so that trip should be right up his alley.”
Bridge said he expected Celestial Legend to be able to run out a strong 2000 metres. That would have brought the Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) onto his radar, but for Racing NSW scheduling the Golden Eagle to clash with VRC Derby Day, a week after the 540-metre longer Moonee Valley highlight.
“He’ll run 2000 metres,” Bridge said. “It’s a shame he can’t go in the Cox Plate, because it’s seven days earlier. A break of two or three weeks from Golden Eagle to Cox Plate would’ve been perfect.”
Beyond Rosehill’s lucrative four-year-old feature, Ho has indicated he’d be keen to show off Celestial Legend in his hometown, in the Hong Kong Mile, worth some AU$7 million, on December 8.
“He’s entered for it but we’ll just see how he goes and take it bit by bit,” Bridge said. “Bon would like to run in it, but we’ll just see how he’s going at the time.
“Then I think he’ll have a big autumn next year. I think he’ll run a strong 2000 metres, so that brings the Queen Elizabeth into play. He’d also be a chance to win his second Doncaster, and he could possibly do both.”
Winning the Doncaster and then the Queen Elizabeth only one week later would put Celestial Legend in rare company indeed.
The last horse to complete the double was Gai Waterhouse’s outstanding mare More Joyous (More Than Ready) in 2012. And she was the first since Iko (Cindy’s Son), trained by Waterhouse’s father Tommy Smith, in 1980.
“It would be a tough ask to win both, but I think he’s an outstanding horse,” Bridge said. “He’s right up there with the best I’ve trained. It was a big effort for a three-year-old to win the Doncaster.”
Celestial Legend was on Monday second favourite at around $4.50 for the Theo Marks, behind Tulloch Lodge’s Bases Loaded (Deep Field), the Newgate-China Horse Club four-year-old entire, at $3.50.
Another burgeoning four-year-old headliner, Chris Waller’s Joliestar, is on the third line at $8, along with Anthony and Sam Freedman’s Punch Lane (So You Think), the five-year-old gelding who’s worked his way up to stakes grade by winning his sixth race from 12 in July’s Glasshouse Handicap (Listed, 1400m) at the Sunshine Coast.
Also nominated is the Waller-trained four-year-old mare Scarlet Oak (Kermadec), who was a boom filly in the Brisbane winter by making it three wins from four starts in Doomben’s ANZ Bloodstock News The Roses (Gr 2, 2000m), but then went amiss and was essentially pulled up as favourite in the Queensland Oaks (Gr 1, 2200m).
Celestial Legend is the first foal out of the unraced mare Sarraqa (Snitzel), a three-quarter sister to two South African Grade 1-winning brothers by Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) in Rafeef and Mustaaqeem. Sarraqa is a daughter of National Colour (National Assembly), a triple top-tier victor for champion trainer Mike de Kock in South Africa, and joint Horse of the Year in that country in 2006.
Arrowfield’s Jon Freyer on Monday told ANZ Sarraqa was due to imminently foal a full–sibling to Celestial Legend, while the nine-year-old mare was booked to return to Dundeel again this spring.
Sarraqa’s colt by Arrowfield’s Japanese shuttler Maurice (Screen Hero) was bought by trainer Matt Dunn, Neil Jenkinson and Viva Racing for $200,000 last Easter.