Marylou Whitney’s Hard Legacy provided trainer Norm Casse with the first Graded Stakes win of his fledgling career with a stylish, front-running victory in the G3 Regret Stakes at Churchill Downs 15 June.
The three-year-old daughter of Hard Spun was ridden by Julien Leparoux and completed the nine furlongs over the firm turf in 1:48.22.
Breaking alertly from the starting gate, Hard Legacy quickly raced up to join Winter Sunset on the lead. Hard Legacy moved past her rival and took the lead entering the backstretch. The race was pretty much over at that point, as Hard Legacy maintained a comfortable lead through the far turn and into the stretch. She eventually crossed the wire a length-and-a-half in front.
Bred in Kentucky by her owner, Hard Legacy is a third-generation homebred and is out of the 2009 G1 Kentucky Oaks runner-up Stone Legacy (Birdstone). The filly won her first two starts as a juvenile and had come close to placing in both the G3 Sweetest Chant and G2 Appalachian earlier this year.
Hard Spun has sired over 70 career Stakes winners, including 10 Grade 1 winners. Hard Spun is having a tremendous spring, led by his three-year-old daughter, Out For A Spin, winner of the G1 Central Bank Ashland Stakes. The stallion is also the sire of A Thread Of Blue, winner of the G3 Palm Beach Stakes earlier this year.
Hard Spun is standing the 2019 breeding season at Jonabell Farm for $40,000, stands and nurses.
