Legarto at Center Stage in Gold Coast Broodmare Sale

Having reversed their original decision to sell four-time group 1 winner Levante (NZ) at the 2025 Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale, there was an outside chance Philip and Catherine Brown might have a similar change of heart with Legarto (NZ)—but to the immense relief of everyone at Magic Millions, this year's headline act is confirmed to enter the auditorium early afternoon May 26. Philip Brown was perhaps only half-joking that his wife had threatened to serve divorce papers if their "family pet" Levante was put through the sales ring 12 months ago; but with the remaining half of Legarto's loyal ownership group understandably keen to test her value on the open market, the semi-retired couple from Matamata soon came to the realization that there was little prospect of changing their minds or buying them out. Perhaps ironically, that sound financial advice was provided by the Browns' former accountant, a hobby breeder who took the fateful decision some nine years ago to sell one of his foals to his long-time clients. That foal turned out to be none other than Levante, and after the extraordinary early success they had enjoyed with the filly, the Browns tasked trainers Ken and Bev Kelso with sourcing another daughter of Proisir (AUS) at Karaka in 2021. Lot 804 subsequently changed hands for NZ$90,000, and after a racing career spanning 24 starts—the Browns were on track for all but one of them—Legarto was retired earlier this year with five group 1 wins on her CV and prize-money earnings in excess of NZ$3 million. In a fitting finale, Legarto brought the curtain down with back-to-back elite level victories in her homeland, after which the Browns—despite a very convincing argument mounted by Ken Kelso—resisted the temptation to give her one last dance in the Australian Cup (G1). Instead of lining up at Flemington—the very venue which had provided the Browns with their greatest thrill in racing when Legarto sprouted wings to claim the 2023 Australian Guineas (G1)—the mare was instead diverted to Attunga Stud to prepare for the next phase of her life. Legarto has since thrived under the watchful eye of Brian Nutt and his team, and given the intense interest levels she has generated since arriving on site late last week, the mare will not be short of admirers—from overseas, as well as the usual local suspects—when she enters the Bundall complex shortly after midday on Tuesday afternoon. For Philip Brown, a former banker who struck gold with the influential sire Battle Wagon on his first foray into the stallion market, the moment will undoubtedly be laden with a range of emotions. "Of course there will be mixed emotions, she's basically been a part of our family for the past five years," he told ANZ News. "She's taken us on a journey none of us ever thought possible. We agisted her on the farm whenever she spelled, so we got to spend a lot of time with her and it will be difficult to say goodbye. But the other 50% of the ownership group are racing enthusiasts, so as much as Catherine and I would've liked to breed from her ourselves, the success she had on the racetrack would make that very difficult for us financially. "When she walked out of the box here at the sales complex, I just thought 'wow' because she looked so good. It will definitely be an emotional moment for us when she goes through the ring, but we came here to sell her so that's what we intend to do. We've put a reserve price on her so if the market doesn't value her as much as we do, then we'll have a decision to make. But I'd be surprised if it came to that."