Melbourne preference for Legless Veuve

Lightly raced filly Legless Veuve is nominated for stakes races in two states but trainer Stuart Webb is planning to keep her close to home for the Thousand Guineas Prelude in Melbourne.

Webb has a high opinion of Legless Veuve and is aiming her at the Group One Thousand Guineas (1600m), two weeks after Saturday.

Caulfield-based Webb, who trained Yosei to win the 2010 Thousand Guineas, said Legless Veuve would also be an acceptor for Saturday’s Listed Reginald Allen Quality (1400m) in Sydney.

“But my preference is to stay here,” he said.

“It’s a back-up if we happened to draw the car park here, and I also put her in up there in case she didn’t get a run here.”

Legless Veuve is, however, assured a start in the Prelude at No.16 16 in the order of entry with a field limit of 16.

Mark Zahra will ride Legless Veuve at Caulfield and has been aboard in two of her three starts.

Legless Veuve was unplaced in a stakes race at Flemington on debut in March before a close second to Blue Diamond placegetter Zamzam in the Listed St Albans Stakes at Moonee Valley in her only other start as a juvenile.

She broke her maiden at Sale in her first start as a three-year-old on September 11 which was a stepping stone to a return to stakes racing.

“She’s always been high-class,” Webb said.

“That’s why her first ever start was in a Listed race. We went to Moonee Valley with confidence but she just got lost in front and got run down.”

Webb said the filly was ready to resume a couple of weeks earlier than she did but a minor hiccup with a hoof meant he had to wait for the Sale race.

He had originally hoped to have the filly third-up in Saturday’s race but doesn’t see that as a concern.

“She’s naturally a fit horse,” he said.

“I think she’s good enough to overcome that.”