Legal Eagle soars in Queen’s Plate

JACK MILNER

Yorker is owned by, among others, Bernard Kantor and Markus Jooste of Steinhoff but Marcus, so prolific in these big races a few years back, has been going through – by his standards at least – a lean feature race spell.

That all changed last weekend when Marcus won the R1 million L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate on Legal Eagle. Ironically, this horse, who is trained by champion trainer Sean Tarry and owned by Markus Jooste and his wife, Ingrid, was already the highest rated runner in the country.

For those who do not follow horseracing, every runner is assessed with a merit rating by the national handicappers which determines how good they are and what weight they will carry in a race.

Legal Eagle won the SA Derby last year and after another victory in the Jubilee Handicap, which is a minor feature event, his rating was lifted to 120 which put him on a par with Futura, who had won three grade 1 races, including last year’s Queen’s Plate and Met.

Most pundits thought they were stark, raving mad, and after Legal Eagle only managed to finish fifth in last year’s Durban July, all the detractors looked pretty smug. However, that all changed last weekend when, in only his second run since the Durban July, Legal Eagle took on the best the country had to offer in a race over 1 600m, a distance short of his best, at level weights.

His connections – as well as Marcus himself – would have been happy for him to have run a place in the race. A win was a major shock for everybody. It was not only the fact that he won, but how he did it.

He got out of the starting stall in a flash; Marcus managed to sit second, he went to the front early in the straight and nobody looked like catching him. 

“It was a great training feat from Sean and his team,” said Marcus. “I had faith in this horse. There were a few questions after his last run, but Sean and I weren’t overly perturbed. Sean didn’t have him wound up so I gave him a ‘sympathetic’ ride.

“Analytically it wasn’t a good run because Bezanova gave him weight and finished on his heels. He showed today what he’s capable of.

“We do believe he’s a 120 (merit rated) on the outside course at Turffontein and thought if he could bring that form to Kenilworth he’s certainly got the opportunity to be very, very competitive.”

Marcus was originally slated to ride Act Of War who was more distance suited but after hours of debate he jumped ship to ride Legal Eagle. Many people were surprised by his move but others thought that he should have opted for Legal Eagle in the first place.

Based on the Green Point Stakes form, Act Of War had little chance of winning the Queen’s Plate and with Legal Eagle being his Met ride, it made sense for Marcus to be aboard the four-year old.

“It was a big call to ride this horse but I had faith in him and I’m glad that he came to the party,” said Marcus. “He’s just too genuine not to come to the fore, even though this was a trifle on the short side. I’m elated.”

He also spoke about Legal Eagle’s disappointing run in the Durban July. “You’ve got to excuse that run. It was his first run at Greyville and he didn’t have a tremendous amount of fortune in the run.”

On January 30 Legal Eagle will line up in the J&B Met. That race is over 2 000m, which will suit the son of Greys Inn, himself a Durban July winner for the Oppenheimers and trainer Mike de Kock, to a tee.

The Met is a Conditions Race and that has added to Legal Eagle’s, chances as he is by far the best horse in the race. In a handicap he would have to give weight to the entire field but in this race, many of the top runners will have to give weight to him.

On his Queen’s Plate form Legal Eagle will be very hard to beat in the Met and although he is already a very short price at 12-10, he could be worth a bet. The draws still have to be announced and that could be relevant.

However, despite everybody’s (new-found) optimism, Marcus remains as cautious as ever. “We’ll take it one race at a time,” he cautions.