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The ability to carefully distinguish the hallmarks of each champion he has bought and raced has cemented Rupert Legh as a front-row fixture on every racetrack and auction ring in the world. As such, it should come as no surprise that he is once again called on to partner in The Everest with his champion sprinter, Masked Crusader.
Everest Diaries chats with Rupert Legh about why Masked Crusader is exactly what the Everest contender’s list needed this year.
Australian owner Rupert Legh has won some of the biggest races Down Under but five years on, The Everest still eludes him. This year, another horse bearing Legh’s name will return to Royal Randwick to win the A $15 million prize in likely favourite Masked Crusader.
“To win this race you need a horse that will run a very strong 1200 meters,” he says, “Masked Crusader could run at least 1400 meters and defiantly ticks this box.”
“He also is a very versatile horse in that he can sit on or off the speed but his greatest asset is his explosive turn of foot that most horses don’t have.”
“As demonstrated in the William Reid Stakes, he had the turn of foot and courage to take a gap that most horses could or wouldn’t take. Fortunately, in that race, he had a jockey that had the confidence in the horse but also matched the horse’s courage.”
Legh has full confidence in John Hawkes ability to bring him to The Everest’s stating gates in peak condition.
“John Hawkes is a very astute trainer,” enthuses Legh, “He is one of the better trainers in getting horses ready for the for a big race. Not just mentally, but also physically getting them to peak on the day.”
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Legh purchased the Tornado colt on a tip by his breeder, Rick Jamison of Gilgai Farm.
“Rick and I have a very good friendship. Over the last few years, Rick would recommend yearlings from his stud that we should be looking at.”
“In this case, I had Cameron Cook inspect the horse who gave Masked Crusader a very big tick. As history has it, John Hawkes brought the horse at the sale and Rick liked him so much he retained a share.”
“We actually paid less than what we had budgeted for as his sire Tornado was not well established as a sire at that stage,” he said.
Melbourne-based Legh has a sort of predilection for Toronados, which seems to be paying off in spades.
“From the moment I saw Tornado run at Royal Ascot, I took a real fancy to him and thought he would make a great stallion and we have supported him every year since.”
To Legh, Masked Crusader has started following in his sire’s footsteps.
“He has matured into a proper racehorse. I didn’t expect to see him fully mature until this spring or even the autumn of next year.”
“The feedback coming back from the stable is that Masked Crusader has now turned into a man and not the boy and now looks more like Tornado.”
But when it's all said and done, the horse that holds a place of pride and joy in his heart is the much-loved 'Grey Flash' Chautauqua.
“I have big memories of him (Chautauqua) taking on the world's best sprinters at Sha Tin.”
“His third TJ was also very special but the moment that sits in my mind more than anything else was the Chairman’s Sprint at Hong Kong,” says Legh.
“It was an unforgeable experience. Very few horses could have done what he did on that particular day, he said, “as an owner, I was very proud of his achievement in beating the best sprinters the world could offer on that day.”