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Australian-Bred Legal Battle Breaks Maiden At Niigata

Legal Battle (3 c Smart Missile – Pyrography by Danzero) shed his maiden status at the fourth time of asking when he landed a race over 1600 metres at Niigata on Saturday and became the second winner in Japan for Twin Hills Stud-based sire Smart Missile (Fastnet Rock).

Smart Missile.

The Fumimasa Takahashi-trained colt was having his first start as a three-year-old and came out on top of a close finish to beat Lulworth Cove (Kizuna) by a neck with the same distance back to Tokimeki (Admire Moon) in third.

Purchased by Katsumi Yoshida for $220,000 from the Arrowfield Stud draft at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Legal Battle is the only winner out of four time-winning Danzero (Danehill) mare Pyrography.

Pyrography herself is a daughter of Burningwood (Tabasco Cat), making her a half-sister to Japanese Grade 3 winner Fireflaught (Special Week) and Ocean Embers (Beneteau), who landed the WW Cockram Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m).

The colt’s third dam is American Grade 2 winner Wood So (Baederwood), who in turn produced Listed winners Iwoodificould (Peaks And Valleys) and All Wood (All Gone), while she is also the grandam of Grade 3 winner Purely Hot (Pure Prize).

In 2018 Pyrography produced a colt by Arrowfield Stud’s former shuttler Animal Kingdom (Leroidesanimaux), before foaling a filly by another of the stud’s former shuttler Olympic Glory (Choisir) and she has most recently been covered by Mikki Isle (Deep Impact), who will not be returning to the Hunter Valley stud this season, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Smart Missile – who is the sire of 18 stakes winners – stood at Arrowfield Stud for his first six seasons in the breeding barn, before relocating to Twin Hills Stud in 2018, where he will stand for a fee of $22,000 (inc GST) in 2020.

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