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At the beginning of the Spring Carnival, leviathan owner Rupert Legh was hopeful about getting three horses (Santa Ana Lane, Masked Crusader and Tofane) into The Everest.
He has successfully partnered with two slot holders (YuLong Investments and Coolmore) both Group One winners (Tofane and Santa Ana Lane, respectively) into the race.
“After the Everest, Tofane will head back for the Gr.1 Darley Sprint Classic (formerly known as the VRC Sprint Classic) while plans for Santa Ana Lane haven’t been finalized yet. We have no plans to travel him internationally as well, however, if something came up in Hong Kong, I would give it serious thought."
Santa Ana Lane has been selected by Coolmore to represent their slot in the race and it is a decision they are very content with. The son of Lope de Vega was runner up in the Everest last year to three-year-old colt Yes Yes Yes after flashing home late to only be beaten by half a length with Trekking finishing third.
Although Legh has won some of the biggest races in Australia, he has never forgotten the moment his pride and joy Chautauqua won the Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize at Sha Tin in 2016.
“I actually stood there for about what seemed about 30 seconds or a minute to get my composure and ask myself the question ‘did that really happen?’,” Legh remembers.
“Everybody who was there that day, at the top of the straight they would have said you had no chance from there and now the rest is history.”
Legh, a former police officer, has become one of the biggest racehorse owners in Australia and is said to have shares in upwards of 100 horses at any one time.
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The Gr.1 winning Tofane will be ridden by Tommy Berry in the A$15m The Everest having won feature races in Rupert Legh’s colours before.
The William St syndicate which owns Santa Ana Lane comprises 41 members including Legh. The syndicate, so named as all shareholders are members of the Australian Club located in Melbourne’s William Street, has raced many notable horses including Caulfield and Melbourne Cup winner Gurner’s Lane, Caulfield Cup winner Paris Lane, Queensland Derby winner De Gaulle Lane and now, of course, Santa Ana Lane.
Chosen names close with “Lane” after their very first runner called William Street proved a failure. However, the second was the outstanding Gurner’s Lane, who won both major Cups in Melbourne and defeated triple Cox Plate winner Kingston Town in a memorable 1982 Melbourne Cup.
“My father was good friends with Michael Ramsden’s father before he passed away. Ramsden was also the former Chairman of the VRC and later when I joined the Club, his son invited me to join the William Street syndicate,” said Legh
"We buy just one or two high-quality horses each year. We have a couple of great horses right now that we are in the process of racing,” he continued.
Due to COVID19 restrictions in Victoria currently, Everest Raceday will be a sombre affair for the Melbourne-based ownership group.
“There is nothing better than when one is celebrating or in a crisis than having your friends around to share the moment. Similarly, it’s about having someone to talk through one’s frustrations or enjoy one’s time with friends at a race because that horse is relevant to everyone,” said Legh.
“I own Aktau and Master Of Wine who are likely to race in the Caulfield Cup on the same day as well as Tofane and Santa Ana Lane who will be racing in The Everest. But unfortunately, I'm likely to be watching the races from home this year with all the restrictions."
Legh's dream, however, is to win a Cox Plate and he has not ruled out Master Of Wine from giving him that opportunity.
"I'd like to go to the Cox Plate with him, that's my choice, but then again I don't train the horse mate, I only pay the bills. And then you've got Aktau going to the Caulfield Cup as well,” said Legh in an interview with The Age. Legh also believes Buffalo River has Cox Plate potential.
This will be quite the Spring if Rupert Legh wins both The Everest and The Cox plate.