Trainer Les Bridge is on the lookout for a new stable star and he’s a little bit excited about what the future may hold for lightly raced three-year-old Celestial Legend.
The retirement of 2020 Everest champ Classique Legend left a hole in the camp but Bridge said if Celestial Legend can win Saturday’s Group 2 $300,000 TAB Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill it’ll be a sign of a potential topliner.
Bridge picked out the colt based on his pedigree saying he should excel once he gets to a mile and further but in three starts at 1200m or less he’s yet to finish worse than second.
“I had an idea in my head, a little bit of speed and being by Dundeel I thought I might get a really good mile and a quarter horse and here he is matching it with the speedsters,’’ Bridge said.
“He’s a lovely horse and when you look at him he’s all legs and a bit immature. He’s an autumn horse.
“He’s surprised me, the boys riding him work early were saying this horse can fly. But when you see his pedigree you think he’s a mile, mile and a quarter horse.
“He might be a sprinter, you’ve got to play the cards as they come but we’ll know more on Saturday.”
Celestial Legend had a flashing light on in his debut second to $3m colt Kandinsky Abstract then Bridge pulled up stumps for his first prep after a dominant win at Rosehill over 1200m in May.
He clocked a slashing 32.85 for his last 600m (Punter’s Intelligence) when he returned with a closing second behind Ozzmosis in the Listed Heritage Stakes (1100m) two weeks ago.
The emerging pair clash for a second time in the Roman Consul and Celestial Legend, with Kerrin McEvoy to ride again, was $4.80 second elect with TAB on Wednesday after drawing barrier four.
“He just couldn’t run the other horse down, we’ve got another half a furlong on Saturday and that might help him a bit,’’ Bridge said.
“He hasn’t gone backwards, he’s gone forwards a bit. He only had one trial and the way he’s bred I was just trying to keep him fresh.
“He’s gone up against the better three-year-olds the other day and he didn’t get the best run in the straight, something ran out in front of him and he should have finished closer.
“That’s what it’s going to come down to, whether he can peg that horse back at 1200m.”
Given Bridge’s comments about the autumn being when he expects Celestial Legend to blossom don’t expect him to have a lengthy spring campaign.
“He’s a lovely relaxed horse, he gets back in his races,’’ he said.
“We’ll take it race by race but we won’t go too far, he might have one (more) run.”
– Racing NSW
