Luke's Legit Stayers Cup Surprise

IN seven years working for champion Western Australian trainers Chris Halse and Linda Britton, Luke Townsend has become a regular fixture at Group race presentations.

However, Townsend celebrated a very unlikely first feature victory as an owner at Angle Park last Thursday night when giveaway bitch Legit Boss caused a massive upset in the Bayroad Queen Stayers Cup Final over 731m.
A beautifully-bred July '14 daughter of Spiral Nikita and West On Bluebird, a litter sister to champion stayer Miata, Legit Boss only made her belated debut last August, as a three-year-old, and she had won just three of her 32 starts heading into the $4375 to-the-winner Stayers Cup Final.
Her last win had come at Cannington back on January 27, a losing sequence of 14, incorporating only three minor placings.
"It was a big surprise," proud owner Luke Townsend said.
"I didn't give her any chance. It was only a field of four but we were expecting third or fourth. She finished second last in the heat and the dog that ran last broke down."
After spending the majority of her career in WA, Legit Boss had been beaten in each of her six starts for South Australian trainer Kim Johnstone, having finished sixth of seven to 2017 SA Greyhound of the Year On Fire in the one-off Stayers Cup heat, beaten ten lengths at $51.
With the Cup Final field reduced to four following three scratchings, Legit Boss was the rank outsider, starting at $21 from box seven, with On Fire the $1.65 favourite, ahead of even-money chance Zudactyl Monelli and Moment To Rumba ($5).
On Fire and Zudactyl Monelli duelled for the lead, with Legit Boss unsurprisingly settling at the tail of the field, but when her three rivals jammed up approaching the home turn the roughie swept to the front and kicked clear to defeat On Fire by 1.25 lengths in 44.04.
"It was a Steve Bradbury-style sort of win!" Townsend laughed.
"They jammed up in front down the back and we got a bit of luck.
"She wasn't chasing too well in WA and I thought Adelaide would suit her, so I sent her over there to finish her career. In her other runs since going over to Kim (Johnstone) she'd been getting too far back over 600 but she had been coming home nicely.
"When they jammed up coming to the home turn and she got to them I thought she's a chance here. I got up out of my seat and starting cheering!
"It was my first rug and trophy win as an owner, which was really nice.
"I also own Shared Bonus, Legit Boss' half-brother, which has won 45 races but he won about 30 of them before I got him.
"It was really good for Kim too. Every time I've gone over to Adelaide with Chris' and Linda's dogs I've stayed with Kim."
Legit Boss, a litter sister to multiple Group winner Pepper Fire, was bred by Linda Britton and successful Victorian breeder Engin Gemci, but she hadn't made it to the racetrack when Townsend astutely picked her up for free.
"She was two and a half when I got her as a giveaway," Townsend explained.
"She's no superstar, that's for sure. She's nearly four now and she just plods along but Adelaide suits her and hopefully she'll keep earning a cheque here and there.
"I would like to breed with her at some stage because she's so well-bred and I know she can run too. She showed a bit early and ran a bit of time in her maiden at Cannington (30.10) but then she started dropping out in her races."