The Everest day at Randwick in four weeks' time looms as one of the biggest in the short history of Grand Syndicates, which is fielding enquiries about Behemoth from slotholders, while dreaming of further glory for It's Me after she confirmed her favouritism for the $1.3 million Kosciuszko.
Victories from its flagbearers at Caulfield and Randwick made for a significant Saturday in the Grand Syndicates story with the David Jolly-trained Behemoth winning the G1 Sir Rupert Clarke S. and the Brett Cavanough-prepared, It's Me, making it three impressive wins from as many starts in the Highway.
With his latest success having come off the back of his win in the G1 Memsie S., Behemoth is now firmly on the radar for a possible spot in The Everest, according to Racing Manager Sam Lyons.
"Where to next is an interesting question. We would love to go a month between runs off those two big wins and go back to The Everest, which is something that was only ever really in the back of our minds," he told TDN AusNZ.
"He profiles well for that now knowing this year is very much a speed-orientated Everest. There will be a lot of very fast horses at the front."
"We would love to go a month between runs off those two big wins and go back to The Everest, which is something that was only ever really in the back of our minds." - Sam Lyons
With six of the 12 slots still available, Lyons is hoping to hold some more in-depth discussions for the one-time $6000 yearling purchase, who has now won over $1.6 million for his large syndicate of owners.
"We’ve had a couple of phone calls from different places, but it was very much a sounding out in the initial stages. But if it progresses to the next level, I'll have a chat and will go back to the ownership group, look at what we want to get out of it, what our expectations are and we’ll start to work out what is a fair result for everybody," Lyons said.
Behemoth was a $6000 yearling and is now a two-time Group 1 winner
Behemoth has become one of the cult figure success stories of Australian racing, combining a hulking frame, a big ownership group and a modest purchase price. Lyons doesn’t know if that kind of story will attract Everest slotholders to the 5-year-old gelding, but he is very much aware of a possible connection through his sire All Too Hard.
"For the majority of slotholders, I would suggest it doesn’t matter and a lot of the big studs are very interested in colts, who might have a future around breeding. But there are slotholders who are involved with Vinery and like racing and like winning races, so there are a couple of options in there, Perhaps that side of the story resonates with them too," he said.
Lyons is referring to the slot held by Max Whitby, which also involves investment from Neil Werrett, who is one of the partners in Vinery Stud, which stands All Too Hard.
"The timing of it all could be that it works out. With all the speed going into the race now, a horse like him coming off two strong Group 1 victories over 1400 metres, freshened back to 1200 metres off a hot tempo, it’s just perfect," he said.
Sam Lyons is hoping All Too Hard's connections to Max Whitby's The Everest slot will help secure Behemoth a start in the race | Standing at Vinery Stud
Giant expectations being fulfilled
While back-to-back Group 1 victories have propelled Behemoth into rare air, for Grand Syndicates and trainer Jolly, it is simply the fulfilment of his long-held potential.
"He's gone to another level now. It shows that while horses can bob up and win a Group 1 in their career, to then go on and be one who can win more than one, that's something really special to have," Lyons said.
"We've always thought he was very good. David said to me very early in the piece when he started training him, 'I think this is a Group 1 horse and the best I have ever trained'. We have always had an opinion of him, which we kept under our hats as much as we could.
"David [Jolly] said to me very early in the piece when he started training him, 'I think this is a Group 1 horse and the best I have ever trained'." - Sam Lyons
"We've never overtaxed him and so we feel he's always continued to step up. I hope that everyone sees that now he is a horse that should not be underrated. People can say he hasn't beaten much, but I don’t think he could have done it any more impressively.
"He's not surprising us, but hopefully he is really stamping himself as a potential champion going forward."
Craig Williams and Behemoth
Unbeaten and on track for her own climb
It's Me, meanwhile, continues to impress, just three runs into her career. After a tendon injury kept her from starting until she turned four, she has graduated from an impressive maiden win at Scone in August, to back-to-back Highway victories at Randwick in very slick times.
"We always thought she was a black-type 3-year-old filly, but she blew that tendon just before her first start. You lose that 3-year-old season with a filly and you don’t have the luxury of racing against the restricted grades," Lyons said.
"Brett (Cavanough) is quite easy on her, and doesn't ask her to do too much, knowing her history with the tendon injury. The thing is, you definitely can't do the times she has two to three times if you are not at that level.
"Who knows how good she is? She went 0.8s outside a track record in a Highway, where they don't run along fast enough to go quicker than that. If you put her in any race, she'd be up there. On her times, if she lined up in an Everest, she wouldn't be out of place. She is fast and has a serious turn of foot," he said.
It will be the other 1200 metre race on the same day, Australia's richest race for country-trained horses, The Kosciuszko, which will be her target and she is now a $3.50 favourite to win it.
At $65,000 through the Kitchwin Hills draft at the 2018 Inglis Classic Sale, It's Me is the most expensive horse that Grand Syndicates has ever purchased but having repaid that through her prizemoney already, there is so much upside with the 4-year-old mare.
"John Price and the boss Peter Morley found her and loved her she was one they had to have, so we put her in our platinum brand, and unfortunately she hurt herself early on," Lyons said.
It's Me was a $65,000 yearling from the draft of Kitchwin Hills at the 2018 Inglis Classic Sale
Grand approach won't change
But while going that extra bit further at the yearling sales has yielded a great result, Lyons is adamant that the run of success won't change the model of the business, which is founded on the principals of affordability and accessibility.
"It's a bit of vindication for what we do and it gives people confidence in what they are already involved with or what they may want to join," he said.
"Everyone has slow horses as well, and we will have our share of them, but it starts to become more than a flash in the pan when you start to get a few. I think our level of good horses for what we buy, would be hard to match at the money we have spent."
"I think our level of good horses for what we buy, would be hard to match at the money we have spent." - Sam Lyons
"The system we have in place for finding these horses is really working well."
There is no shortage of advice to both Lyons and Morley on where Grand Syndicates should go next, but they see no need to change what is becoming a continually successful approach.
"I get so many phone calls from people telling me we should get bigger and we should do it this way. I just keep focussing on what we are doing," Lyons said.
"There are probably bigger and better ways out there to make money, but that is not the be-all and end-all for what we are doing. We believe in what we are doing at this end of the market and I want to stay true to that.
"The Grand Syndicates set up now, with the fixed fees and low share prices, is going to be the same Grand Syndicates that you will see in 10 years."
