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The weather will have a big say in the fortunes of Les Bridge’s ‘Legend’ trio at Randwick on Saturday.
If significant rain has arrived by race morning, Bridge says he's likely to leave Madam Legend at home but will head to Randwick quietly confident in the chances of up and comer Savvy Legend.
The third of the 'Legend' stock among the acceptors is Olympic Legend and Bridge will be just hoping.
Savvy Legend only made his city debut at his eighth start, a luckless fourth at Canterbury, so while he's in the deep end in the Schweppes Handicap (2000m) the Hall Of Fame trainer said the gelding has his share of promise.
"We put him around the provincials to see if we can toughen him up and he raced well at the provincials,'' Bridge said.
"He didn't have any luck the other day at Canterbury."
The four-year-old, $15 with TAB on Thursday, was beaten 1.8 lengths in fourth place behind Mr Gee in a Benchmark 72 over 1900m on a heavy track. He drops 2kg with Kerrin McEvoy taking the ride.
"He's racing well and with nothing on his back, he handles the going, he'd be some sort of hope,'' he said.
Madam Legend looked a different horse this preparation when she resumed with a dashing win at Rosehill two weeks ago and Bridge revealed why.
The mare, a $5 chance with TAB in the Heineken Handicap (1200m), shrugged off an indifferent summer/autumn prep as she reeled off the fastest last 600m of the entire meeting (33.52, Punter's Intelligence) first-up.
"She used to get these recurring throat infections and you had to treat them,'' Bridge said.
"She was on some strong antibiotics because it kept coming back. Since she's come in this time she's been a different horse."
Bridge has a high opinion of Madam Legend but despite being a heavy track winner in the past is concerned about the state of Randwick come 3.55pm if the forecast rain was accurate.
"If it's really wet I probably won't run her, it's late in the day and I don't have to run her if it is a bog track,'' he said.
There's no real data for Bridge to go on regarding Olympic Legend's prospects on a wet track in the Agency Real Estate Handicap (1400m) but he's been close up in two starts since a first-up win and is erring on the side of wanting to find out.
"He's one of those horses, he's a handy horse that will go through his grades but he wants everything to go right,'' he said.
"I don't know about a heavy track but he handles soft, he'll be some sort of hope."
Meanwhile, TAB Everest champion Classique Legend is pleasing Bridge since his return from Hong Kong and the star grey is set to trial in August before following the same path as last year with a first-up run in the Group 2 Shorts (1100m).
