2024 The Metropolitan winner Land Legend

2024 The Metropolitan Results: Land Legend Denies Zardozi in Photo Thriller

Lucy Henderson October 5, 2024

2024 The Metropolitan Results: Land Legend Denies Zardozi in Photo Thriller

Two great mates fought it out in a thrilling 2024 The Metropolitan result on the big stage at Royal Randwick with Reece Jones getting his first Group 1 when narrowly denying fellow young gun Zac Lloyd aboard the gallant runner-up Zardozi.

2024 The Metropolitan winner Land Legend
2024 The Metropolitan winner Land Legend could be Caulfield Cup bound this spring. Photo: Steve Hart.

For Lloyd it had already been a huge Epsom Handicap Day in Sydney with the up-and-comer claiming his second Group 1 success on Lady Shenandoah in the Flight Stakes before a boilover by potential The Everest-bound Airman at $41 in the Premiere Stakes.

He nearly came away with an elite level double on the day but was forced to settle for second in a devastatingly close Group 1 $750,000 The Metropolitan (2400m).

Despite being mates in the jockey’s room, Jones had to survive a protest launched by Lloyd against him and his ride to take home the Group 1 trophy.

After deliberations, stewards eventually dismissed The Metropolitan protest of second against first and the original placings were upheld.

“That’s unbelievable. When he was a little bit tardy into stride and a little bit further back than where I wanted to be I thought it was just going to be a little bit tougher. I just had to keep my cool, let him build into it,” winning hoop Jones told Sky Thoroughbred Central post-victory.

“I knew I found the back of Zardozi, I’d be right in the finish. Took me everywhere I needed to go. I didn’t want to trust his turn of foot against her, so I just made sure he was up and mobile, similar to when he won the St Leger.

“He was terrific and tough then, to come here and do the same again today, credit to the Waller camp, they’ve got him absolutely spot on for today.”

Jones whipped up right round the outside of the field on the progressive Chris Waller-trained import Land Legend ($7.50) approaching the home turn and kept on with his run once on the straight.

The five-year-old Galileo gelding burst to the front 350m out but was quickly joined by last year’s VRC Oaks winner, the talented James Cummings-trained daughter of Kingman, Zardozi ($7).

Land Legend and Zardozi quickly put a gap on the rest of the field to fight it out stride-for-stride over the final 300m in a thriller.

After racing three-wide throughout Zardozi was brave really digging in on the inside but the photo showed Land Legend got there by the bob of the head right on the line.

It was another tight finish for third with the beaten favourite, Unusual Legacy ($4.8), snaring the final spot in The Metropolitan trifecta after running much closer on speed.

For Land Legend it was a nice return to form as he posted his second win in Australia after the big St. Leger victory on debut down under at Randwick back in October last year.

“It was (good to see him get another win here at Randwick),” Waller said.

“Obviously the writing was on the wall when he won a St Leger. Mr Ho has taken his time with him and James Ferguson handed the reins over to us and he’s just been given plenty of time.

“We picked this race out, I guess six months ago and said we’ll do it third-up and make sure we’ve still got something left for the rest of the spring as well.

“When it was a hard-fought finish, I just wondered whether his condition would hold out because he’s actually quite a gross horse, he’s a bit of a bulldog. And he was tough the last 100m.”

The Metropolitan winner could now be headed south for a shot at the Group 1 $5 million Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 19.

Updated all-in 2024 Caulfield Cup odds online have Land Legend into $15 to do the interstate double.

Click here for the latest markets courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2024 The Metropolitan Results & Finishing Order

Finish No. Horse Trainer Jockey Margin Bar. Weight Penalty Starting Price
1 14 LAND LEGEND (FR) Chris Waller Reece Jones   6 51kg   $7.50
2 10 ZARDOZI James Cummings Zac Lloyd (a) 0.05L 9 52kg   $7
3 21e UNUSUAL LEGACY (NZ) Chris Waller Jay Ford 3.46L 4 50kg (cd 50.5kg)   $4.80F
4 8 TRUST IN YOU (NZ) Bruce Wallace & Grant Cooksley Tom Sherry 3.47L 13 53kg   $71
5 13 ETNA ROSSO (IRE) Chris Waller Kerrin McEvoy 4.84L 12 51.5kg 1.5kg $11
6 20e STRATHTAY (NZ) Chris Waller Ms Winona Costin 5.94L 10 50kg   $26
7 15 FIRST LIGHT (GB) Chris Waller Mark Du Plessis 6.32L 2 50kg   $21
8 18 WYCLIF (GB) Ciaron Maher Andrew Adkins 6.92L 16 50kg   $51
9 5 ALEGRON Bjorn Baker Ms Rachel King 7.17L 5 54kg   $31
10 7 ATHABASCAN (FR) John O’Shea & Tom Charlton Jason Collett 8.01L 8 54kg   $15
11 22e MATUSALEM Chris Waller Ms Alysha Collett 8.14L 7 50kg   $13
12 3 SERPENTINE (IRE) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Tim Clark 8.17L 14 55kg   $14
13 11 FUTURE HISTORY (GB) Ciaron Maher Zac Wadick (a) 8.24L 3 51.5kg   $10
14 19e IMMEDIACY (NZ) Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young Jett Stanley (a) 10.1L 17 50kg   $31
15 2 MILITARY MISSION (IRE) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Regan Bayliss 10.12L 1 55.5kg   $41
16 4 QUE TEMPESTA (IRE) Ben, Will & JD Hayes Craig Williams 10.41L 11 54.5kg   $12
17 6 CLEVELAND (IRE) Kris Lees Dylan Gibbons 16.91L 15 54kg   $101
  1 KALAPOUR (IRE) Kris Lees Nash Rawiller   0      
  9 EL BODEGON (IRE) Chris Waller     0      
  12 STAR OF INDIA (IRE) Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald Ms Alysha Collett   0      
  17 BERKSHIRE BREEZE (IRE) Ciaron Maher     0      
  16 MANZOICE Chris Waller Jay Ford   0

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

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