LEGISLATE – A SIRE ON A CREST OF A WAVE

Cheveley Stud’s home bred stallion Legislate recently came up with his first Gr 1 winner when his son Good For You won the Gr 1 Gold Medallion on Saturday 31 May.The Oldlands Stud bred Good For You was making his seventh start on Saturday, with the two-year-old having a close second in the Gr 3 Godolphin Barb Stakes on his previous start.

Now a two-time winner from seven starts, Good For You is out of the twice winning Indigo Magic mare Slightly Blonde. He is the fourth winner, and first stakes winner, for Slightly Blonde, whose numerous high-class relatives include champion sprinter Rio Querari.

Good For You

Good For You is one of several high-class two-year-olds to have emerged from Legislate’s current crop of two-year-olds. This crop also includes an impressive recent debut winner In A Timely Manner and the smart filly Arashi. The latter broke her maiden third time out before going on to finish a creditable third in the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Nursery.

Despite having small numbers of foals, Legislate has already made his mark at stud.
The champion’s first small crop produced 22 runners, of which 21 won, with his initial crop producing a staggering seven individual stakes winners. Legislate’s first-crop stars were led by the graded stakes winners Airways Law, Hoedspruit, So Flawless and Zimbaba.

Subsequent crops have yielded the likes of Bureau Des Legende (Jacaranda Handicap Listed) and Runaway Song (Gr 3 Track And Ball Derby).

To date, Legislate is siring an impressive 11% stakes winners to foals, top-class statistics indeed.

Legislate was an outstanding, record-setting racehorse, and South Africa’s Horse Of The Year in 2013-2014.
Also crowned Equus Champion 3YO Colt & Equus Middle Distance Horse of 2013-2014, Legislate went on to be named Equus Champion Miler the following season.
Trained by Justin Snaith, Legislate made just two starts at two, finishing a close second on debut before finishing sixth on his only other start at two.

The strapping bay showed his class at three, when Legislate won five of nine starts, including all of the Gr 1 Investec Cape Derby, Gr 1 Daily News 2000, Gr 2 KRA Guineas and Gr 1 Vodacom Durban July.
Legislate was beaten into second in the July by Wylie Hall but the winner was later disqualified and Legislate promoted to first.

The bay showed raw brilliance at four, when Legislate won both the Gr 1 Gold Challenge and Gr 2 Green Point Stakes. When Legislate won the 2014 Green Point Stakes, he set a new track record for 1600m at Kenilworth.
After disappointing in the Gr 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate, Legislate bounced back to win the 2015 Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge by three-parts of a length.
The following season, Legislate would finish second, behind dual Horse Of The Year Legal Eagle, in the Gr 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.

Legislate, who earned more than R5.788 million in prize money, made a brief return to racing after having fertility issues in his first season at stud, but made just one start before retiring for good.
He retired having won or placed in 14 of his 20 starts, with Legislate having beaten such outstanding performers as Captain America, Capetown Noir, Cherry On The Top, Futura, In The Fast Lane, Louis The King, and Willow Magic.

From the powerful Sadler’s Wells male line, Legislate was bred to be a top-class performer. His sire Dynasty was himself a July winning champion who went on to become one of South Africa’s top stallions. A son of the late champion sire Fort Wood, Dynasty sired more than 80 stakes winners and his sons Futura, Irish Flame and Legislate were all named Horse Of The Year in South Africa.

Legislate is one of seven winners, and three black type performers, produced by the four-time winning mare Champers.
A half-sister to Gr 2 Post Merchants hero Black Skimmer, Champers was a full-sister to stakes placed, ten-time winner Asprey.
Further back, this is the family of champion Gabor, and fellow Gr 1 Thekwini Stakes winner Roxanne.

Legislate himself traces back directly in female line to English Oaks runner up Elizabeth.

By Sarah Whitelaw