Legless Veuve earns shot at Thousand Guineas

Legless Veuve has landed a betting plunge to take out an important lead-up race to a Group One race at Caulfield.

The Stuart Webb-trained three-year-old was backed from $17 into $12 in taking out the Thousand Guineas Prelude on Saturday.

Ridden by Mark Zahra, Legless Veuve raced on the speed before holding off La Luna Rossa ($17) to win by a half-length with Sword Of Light ($51) a short-half-head away third.

Webb said the filly would now head to the Thousand Guineas at Caulfield on October 8, a race he won with Yosei in 2010.

Legless Veuve was lining up for her fourth race start of Saturday and was jumping from a maiden win at Sale.

Webb said Legless Veuve had shown him ability right from her early days on the training track but needed to get a win on the board after two runs in Listed grade as an autumn two-year-old.

“To beat this lot the way she did today I think she’s real high class,” Webb said.

“She’s still got her winter coat and is so, so far behind.”

Webb said Legless Veuve and Yosei were different types.

He described Yosei as a tough two-year-old who backed it up into her three-year-old year and was problem free.

“This filly, if she won in two weeks time, that would probably be it for her but she’s going to be a really nice filly in the autumn,” Webb said.

“She won’t go on to an Oaks as she’s still a bit babyish.”

Zahra said there was improvement to come from Legless Veuve as like, she was at Sale, she was big in condition ahead of Saturday’s race.

“She’s still green but on her home track in two weeks time she’ll be hard to beat in the Guineas,” Zahra said.