Legless Veuve back to sprint distance

Three-year-old Legless Veuve has been freshened since her Australian Guineas failure and trainer Stuart Webb has concluded the Group-winning filly is better suited as a sprinter.

Legless Veuve lines up against older horses in Saturday’s Listed Bel Esprit Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield with her performance to determine whether she earns a crack at the Group One Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) for fillies and mares’ in Adelaide two weeks later.

The filly spent some time on the water walker after finishing last in the Australian Guineas (1600m) seven weeks ago before getting ready to return.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that she is just a sprinter,” Webb said.

Legless Veuve won Group Two Thousand Guineas Prelude over 1400m as a spring three-year-old and Webb felt she might have had the aerobic capacity to stretch a bit further.

“She’s really developed and thickened and looks more like a sprinter now and I think that’s just what she is,” he said.

Legless Veuve won the Manfred Stakes (1200m) first-up in February before finishing unplaced as favourite in The Vanity (1400m) and last in the Australian Guineas (1600m).

Banner error, could not find casino id "william-hill-sport"

“She had a couple of little respiratory issues too. It was recorded she had a bit of an internal bleed after the seven furlong race (Vanity),” Webb said.

“I just think she’s probably a bit better off on the fresher side and keeping her workload down.

If Legless Veuve runs well in the Bel Esprit, Webb said she would run in the Group One Sangster at Morphettville but if her performance isn’t good enough the other Adelaide option is the Group Two Euclase Stakes (1200m) for three-year-olds on the same day.

Webb would prefer Saturday’s race be against Legless Veuve’s own age.

“It’s an open sprint where she probably doesn’t quite get the weight relief she should,” he said.

“But I think she’ll run well. Her work on Tuesday morning was very sharp and she should be suited by a bit of sting out of the ground.

Stablemate Ana Royale lines up in Saturday’s VOBIS Gold Reef (1600m) and is being aimed towards the Australasian Oaks (2000m) on May 6.

Webb also has Annus Mirabilis running in the rescheduled Sydney Cup at Randwick.