You can never keep a horse like All Legal down. The type that continues to thrive on the stable environment when many believe a retirement paddock would suffice.
“An aging gentlemen,”Randwick based horseman Kevin Moses said on Tuesday.
“A lovely horse to do anything with.”
A three time Sydney premiership winning jockey Moses now has 18 horses in work at headquarters and All Legal is a favourite.
“I ride him work every day,” Moses said.
“He is only little, weighs in at 480 kilos, not very big but he is tough.”
Tough enough to be stepping out on raceday for the 46th time in Wednesday’s $125,000 Newmarket Quality at Newcastle.
A six time winner with four seconds and as many thirds All Legal has won $590,430 in prizemoney. Who would have thought?
“I had him sold to Hong Kong as a three-year-old for $300,000 but the vets knocked him back,” Moses recalled.
“He has now won close to $600,000 in stakes which isn’t bad.”
But there is more.
“In one knee he has had five bone chips taken out, the other one he has had three removed,”Moses again.
“One vet said to retire him, we got a second opinion from the Randwick Equine Centre, they operated on him and he has earnt about $150,000 since the operation.”
“Won a listed race at Hawkesbury and the Villiers that was very good,” Moses said.
Not bad for a horse Moses paid $25,000 to buy as a youngster.
“One of my rare purchases,” Moses laughed.
“I don’t go to the yearling sales and buy, buy and then try to sell them to clients.
“It is too hard, I’d hate to be owing all that money, plenty do.”
All Legal’s best effort came three days prior to Christmas when the rising seven-year-old carted off the Villiers under gun jockey Glyn Schofield.
The pair returned but failed to beat a runner home in the Liverpool City Cup at Warwick Farm on March 9.
“I was happy with the run the other day and I know most people weren’t,” Moses said.
“They went to slow and sprinted up front and he was first-up. His second up run is always much better than the first one as well.”
From six second-up outing All Legal has won and been runner-up once while there have been three third placings.
And the booking of Schofield for the Newcastle feature is another positive from a one time jockey that knows.
“Drawing a barrier [1] and having a jockey that wants to stick, that always helps,” Moses said.
“Gives you a bit of added confidence. We know it is a tough race but if things go our way my horse has certainly got a chance.”
By Craig Young
