Louis’ ‘legendary’ Healesville heritage

[Wandering Eyes]

Louis The Legend, the latest Healesville specialist to emerge from Angela Galea’s phenomenal production line, faces a daunting clash with Zambora Lou in Sunday afternoon’s opening Winter Cup heat (350m).

Louis The Legend, also bred and owned by Galea, who’s based at Sunshine North, has raced exclusively at Healesville throughout his 18-start career, notching six wins from 11 starts over the 350m course and one success over 300m.

“He’s not quite a legend but he’s going really well, and he loves the straight,” Galea said.

“Dad (Martin) actually picked the name out. Dad has a friend called Louis and I quite like the name, although he has come up with some pretty ordinary names in the past!

“There’s no real reason that Louis The Legend has done all his racing at Healesville. He just excels up there so we’ve kept him there so far.

“We do most of our racing there, the dogs like it, it’s very safe and keeps the dogs sound. We really enjoy the Sundays up there, although there’s some good dogs racing there now with the better prizemoney but we try to match them.”

Galea and Louis The Legend will be tackling some of the biggest names in the sport in the inaugural Healesville Festival of Racing, which commences with the Winter Cup heats.

Louis The Legend has drawn box three in Heat 1 (Race 5 – 12.16pm), where his opposition is headlined by reigning Healesville Cup champion Zambora Lou.

While respecting her opposition, Galea was buoyed by Louis The Legend’s last start victory where he left track lover Hello George and classy heat rival Braemar Prince in his wake in a new personal best of 19.27sec.

“There’s some very good dogs in the heats and they’re going to be running fast times but Louis The Legend loves the straight and really knows his way around there,” Galea said.

“It was a really nice win in the FFA on Monday. His first split of 6.52sec was smart and he needed the run so it will really top him off perfectly for Sunday.”

It comes as absolutely no surprise that Angela and the Galea family relish racing at Healesville, having enjoyed great success in recent years, most notably with sisters It’s All Talk and Time To Talk.

Louis The Legend is following a very proud family tradition, with his mother, Like A Fancy, a litter sister to It’s All Talk (Magic Sprite x Fainting Fancies).

It’s All Talk won 32 of her 55 starts, with 22 of her victories coming at Healesville, while she started favourite in the 2015 G2 Laurels.

Her younger full sister, Time To Talk, forged a similarly impressive 29 from 57 record, winning 10 times at Healesville, and was runner-up in the 2019 G2 Ballarat Cup.

“We’ve really been spoiled,” Galea offered.

“Fainting Fancies has just kept producing and producing. It’s been such a great ride.

“Fainting Fancies also had a third litter to Magic Sprite and they’re okay but I think our luck might have run out there!

“It’s All Talk has had a litter to Fernando Bale that’s 13 months old. They’re currently going through the breaking-in process and looking good so far.”

WATCH: Louis The Legend (4) – at $10.60 – topples a couple of straight track specialists in 19.27sec at Healesville last Monday.

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