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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Greg Hickman can see positives and negatives for Private Legacy as she chases successive Listed wins in the $200,000 Kia Lord Mayors Cup (2000m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

Trainer Greg Hickman

But he says the mare has come through her overdue win in the Centaurea Stakes in Adelaide three weeks ago in outstanding order and she deserves the chance to enhance her record which already includes placings at both Group 1 and Group 2 level.

Hickman said his main concern is the wet track but adds Private Legacy, while placed just once in nine wet track starts, has shown competence in rain affected ground.

“There’s lots of maybes, it’d be nice if it could get to a (soft) 7,’’ he said.

“My confidence levels are just a little bit negative about the sting out of the track but I’m happy that there’s horses in there having their first start back or off a let up over 2000m.

“I haven’t needed to give her a big wind up because she’s very fit, as you’ll see at the races.”

A closer look at the four-year-old’s wet track performances reveal she ran fourth in last year’s Group 3 Kembla Grange Classic on a soft 6, a closing sixth on a heavy 9 in the Group 3 Adrian Knox and more recently her seventh, beaten four lengths, in the Group 2 Emancipation Stakes on a heavy 8.

“If you have a look at the run before we took her away (in the Emancipation), she drew barrier one and had no luck. She probably could have won or ran second or third that day,’’ he said.

“We went there chasing black type, and it was a very good win. The way they’re selling broodmares at the sales now she’s probably worth a bit of money these days.

“She’s only ever won two races but she’s been competing at the top level.”

Private Legacy, $6.50 with TAB on Friday, has drawn the inside barrier in the Lord Mayors Cup which is what brought her undone in the Emancipation.

She was ridden for luck in the Centaurea, with Ben Melham taking an inside run on the home turn and the mare ran out an easy winner.

The Warwick Farm trainer has engaged apprentice Jace McMurray, fresh from a city double at Canterbury on Wednesday, to ride her and says it’ll be up to him to make the right moves depending on how the track is playing.

“He rode one for me on Wednesday at Canterbury and I was very impressed with him,’’ Hickman said.

“When you get those wider gates you’ve got to pull them back to get to where you want to go to.

“She can come out and they can filter themselves around us. He’ll just decide by that time of the day whether the inside of the track is all right.

“If it is he’ll ride for luck and if it’s not he’s got to get out and come down the outside.”

Meanwhile, Hickman is sending Jonny Be Swift to Muswellbrook on Sunday chasing his first win since January last year in the Acorp Computers Hunter River Handicap (2300m).

The So You Think gelding has been placed in three of his past four starts, including on a heavy 10 at Taree three weeks ago, and Hickman likes the 6.5kg weight drop.

Prev Gr1p PRIVATE LEGACY is SW8 for The Autumn Sun in the Centaurea Stakes

3x3 Danehill & another SW example of Danehill male line over Husonnet line mares

Her 3rd dam Working Gal is 2x3 Somethingroyal@HickmanRacing @mmsnippets @ArrowfieldStud pic.twitter.com/bwDMyxuTg2

— Pedigree Update (@pedigreeupdate) May 11, 2025

Private Legacy wins at Morphettville (Video: 7HorseRacing on X).

“He’s had big weights so we put him in this race and he comes in with 55kg,’’ he said.

“Anna (Roper) was quite happy with him the other day, he just didn’t seem to sprint with a bit of weight on his back.

“I think he’s just starting to get to his right distance. I don’t think it’s an overly strong race but he will have to be at his best to win.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Rosehill meeting