BAKER HOPING LEGAL ESPRIT CAN PICK IT UP FROM WHERE HE LEFT OFF

By Graham Potter | Friday, January 28, 2022

The Donald Baker trained Legal Esprit will make his reappearance at the racetrack at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday following a five month break away from racing.

The son of Bel Esprit is already a five-time winner from only six starts. Four of those wins came in his two-year-old campaign where he won over 800m, 870m, 900m and 1000m with his only start as a three-year-old coming back on August 14 at Eagle Farm which was the last time he raced.

Shortly after that win Baker confirmed that the performance of Legal Esprit had attracted the attention of Hong Kong based buyers and that a deal was pending subject to Legal Esprit passing the required vet tests.

Also, at that time though, the rumour mill suggested that Legal Esprit’s front legs might give some cause for concern with regard to the deal moving forward and so it proved as a vet’s report scuppered what would have been a lucrative deal for Legal Esprit’s connections.

So, now it is back to business for Baker and Legal Esprit as the team tries to pick up from where they left off as if nothing had happened in-between … the immediate target being a QTIS Three-Year-Old Handicap over 1000m in a race which has already come down to only eight runners after four early scratchings.

In Legal Esprit’s last two wins, Baker entrusted the fortunes of Legal Esprit to two apprentice jockeys. First Angela Jones took 3kg off the 60.5kg Legal Esprit was set to carry in a QTIS Two-Year-Old Handicap and then Madeleine Wishart did the same, lowering the weight that Legal Esprit’s had to carry in that last run at Eagle Farm from 59kg to 56kg.

On both of those occasions Legal Esprit won with a couple of lengths to spare.

This time apprentice Kyle Wilson-Taylor takes over in the saddle.

Two other runners in the race are also last start winners and the betting reflects the open nature of the race.

Those runners are the Chris Anderson trained Rubiquitous, who tops the betting boards at $3, and the Tony Gollan trained Muschialli ($3.40).

Legal Esprit is currently the third favourite, but is close-up in the betting at $3.60. Blackjack Boom is also in the betting mix at $4.50 … highlighting the competitive nature of the race.