Winner: Legally Binding Bang

With an improved second-up performance, Legally Binding (4 g Exceedance – Legal Eagle, by More Than Ready) won the $25,000 Rating 75 1200 metres on 18 March at Waverley.

Also, a second-up winner in October at Riccarton, and establishing a good race record of four wins and three placings from 10 starts, Legally Binding was unable to quicken when resuming in the Rating 75 1200 metres on 28 February at Matamata, but looked ripe to improve with the run under his belt.

Ridden by Te Akau apprentice Hayley Hassman (a2), Legally Binding, who has performed best when positioned in or near the lead, went forward to travel comfortably outside the leader and race favourite Lucullan and lifted in a driving three-way finish to score. 

It was a good effort by the four-year-old gelding, who had previously won in the same grade and distance. It was also another well judged ride by Hassman to record her 27th win this season, while premiership leading trainers Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson edged closer to another century of wins with this winning bringing up their 96th for this season. 

On Good4 footing, in the race sponsored by Conrad Wiltshire – Property Brokers, Legally Binding ran 1200 metres on 1:09.4, last 600m in 34.1 (approx.), and paid $5.50 & $1.80 on the NZ TAB tote. 

“It was good to see Legally Binding back in the winner’s circle today and it was also another really good ride of Hayley’s,” Walker said.

“When she pulled the stick through to her left-hand, I think that was a winning of the race and he remained on a straight line to the winning post.

“He’ll be up into Open Handicap grade now, but the win should give him confidence to measure up and he’s still a young horse with good amounts of ability and a record to match.

“He’s a horse that performs best on good ground, and the (Soft6) ground had quite a bit of give in it when he resumed at Matamata, so a combination of better footing and having that first-up run has definitely helped.”

Legally Binding was purchased by David Ellis CNZM for A$90,000, from the draft of Edinglassie Thoroughbreds, at the 2023 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and owned by the Te Akau Eagle Eyed Racing Partnership (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM).

Legally Binding is from the first crop of Exceedance (Exceed and Excel), a Group One winning three-year-old of the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington, whose dam Bonnie Mac (Thorn Park), was a stakes' winner over 1200 metres that won five times to 1400 metres.

A really well put together horse, by a young sire son of Champion Sire Exceed and Excel (Danehill), Legally Binding has legendary sires Danehill and Sir Tristram as his second and third dam sires, respectively, which adds to a distaff bloodline among the best. 

Legally Binding has a Danehill cross, as the sire of Exceed and Excel and sire of grand-dam Legal Consent.

The dam side of Legally Binding's pedigree is particularly rich. Incredibly, world renowned dam-sire More Than Ready (Southern Halo) is the best sire of winners globally, while his daughter and our horse's dam Legal Eagle has now produced three individual winners of 14 races. 

Passing in 2022, aged 25, More Than Ready had been Champion Sire in both hemispheres, proving an outstanding sire of sires and going from strength-to-strength as a broodmare sire.

After his previous win, earlier this season, Ellis reflected on reasons for buying Legally Binding, saying: “He had great presence when we bought him as a yearling and a double up of Danehill in his bloodlines.

“He was an athletic colt, furnished beautifully to remain that way, and he’s shaping up to be a really good sprinter.

“It’s a heck of pedigree, when you delve into it, and it’s produced a really good horse for the owners.”

Legally Binding was strapped by Ryan Foote.  

Photo credit - Peter Rubery - www.raceimages.co.nz