Three-year-old summary: Beiwacht scorches turf to Golden Rose glory

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Beiwacht delivers scintillating Golden Rose win

It wasn’t just victory for Beiwacht (Bivouac) in the G1 Golden Rose Stakes - it was a decisive, clock-smashing run that broke the 1400-metre track record, and rightfully put the spotlight on the 3-year-old colt ahead of the G1 The Everest next month.

Six years after his sire Bivouac took out the sire-making race, Beiwacht sailed away from Wodeton (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and fellow Godolphin galloper Tempted (Street Boss {USA}) to win by four lengths.

Letting loose under Adam Hyeronimus upon straightening, the colt shaved almost half a second off of the record set by Cepheus (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) two years ago.

Trained by Chris Waller, the colt delivered the first Group 1 for Godolphin since the operation entered a public training model at the beginning of the season. It was also a ninth win in the race for the operation, and a fourth in total for Waller. Taking the win to another level, Bivouac becomes the first Golden Rose winner to sire a winner of the race himself.

“Godolphin has been an amazing story for Australia and they've been my biggest competitor for so many years consistently in these big races, the stallion making races,” Waller said after delivering the quinella with Coolmore’s Wodeton finishing second.

“I am honoured to be training for the likes of Godolphin and Coolmore. We had four great colts in the race and unfortunately there is only one winner.

“For Beiwacht, it's a big thing. He's a Silver Slipper winner as a 2-year-old, a Group 2 winner, and now he has won a stallion-making Group 1 race.”

Godolphin are yet to fill their slot in the $20 million headliner next month, and their top 3-year-olds loom as likely competitors. Besides them, Coolmore and Mulberry Racing have yet to make a selection.

“Beiwacht seems to be getting better and Tempted has run very well, too,” Godolphin Australia’s Managing Director Andy Makiv said. “I think either could go to the Everest, but we will have a conversation with Chris and with Ciaron (Maher, trainer of Tempted).

“Three weeks in is a really good lead-up for either Beiwacht or Tempted to go back to the 1200 metres for the Everest. They seem to be our logical choices and really our only choices. We don't have to make the call just now, but it would be nice for them to get organised.

“The Coolmore is also an option for both of them so it's a matter of whether our trainers want to ‘prep' up for that race. So, we will hear what our trainers want to do, and we will be guided by them before ultimately making a decision, but I do feel either will acquit themselves really well.”

Sales: Beiwacht is a homebred for Godolphin.

Pedigree: Beiwacht is the first Group 1 winner for his sire, who won three Group 1s in three seasons of racing, and is the second stakes winner out of Listed Chairman’s Stakes winner Metastasio (Street Cry {Ire}). His third dam is the blue hen Truly Special (Ire) (Caerleon {USA}), whose descendants include Hong Kong Champion Sprinter Wellington (All Too Hard) and multiple Group 1 winner Ceolwulf (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}). Metastasio is due to deliver a foal by Benbatl (GB) in November.

Ferivia strikes in Thousand Guineas Prelude

Phillip Stokes’ talented 3-year-old filly Ferivia (Astern) bounced back on Saturday from a failure in the Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes, putting on a far more convincing performance in the G2 Thousand Guineas Prelude at Sandown. The filly prevailed in a tight four-way finish to win by a nose over Ole Dancer (Ole Dancer), who dashed home from near last to manoeuvre Salty Pearl (Tagaloa) out of second spot.

“We thought she'd got there,” Stokes said. “She was meant to run last week and we had to scratch her on race morning, which was unfortunate but turned out to be a blessing. She missed a bit of work so there's improvement to come … off to the (Thousand) Guineas in three weeks' time.

“I don't think the mile will be a problem. They really ran along, and she was strong late and I would like to think she could run out a strong mile.”

Jockey Lachlan Neindorf was happy to back up Stokes’ opinion of the filly.

“I knew Blake Shinn was coming home very late (on Ole Dancer) and I wasn't sure," Neindorf said. “It was a blanket finish. She was tough, I thought I was gone at the 100-metre mark, but she changed legs and found again. She's deserved that today.”

Sales: Ferivia was bred and retained by the Brooks family, who organise the Birdsville racing carnival, and races for their Saddlers Knife syndicat.

Pedigree: Ferivia is one of three winners from three to race out of Streetcar Express (Not A Single Doubt), a close relation to G3 DC McKay Stakes winner Streetcar Magic (Blevic). Streetcar Express has a Rich Enuff yearling to follow and is due in early October to Flying Artie.

Marhoona eludes Slipper curse in Heritage Stakes

The G1 Golden Slipper Stakes curse has loomed large over the race in recent years, but the 2025 winner Marhoona (Snitzel) shook it off at her return to racing on Saturday, dashing away with the Listed Heritage Stakes at Rosehill Gardens.

The 3-year-old filly had been scratched from a possible start in the G1 Moir Stakes to instead face her own age for her resumption, and the move well and truly paid off for trainer Michael Freedman.

Letting Beadman (Snitzel) and Hidden Motive (Capitalist) take the lead coming round the home turn, Marhoona waited until the last furlong to let loose, flying home to win by two thirds of a length over the chasing Akaysha (Capitalist).

“What Slipper curse!” Freedman said post-race. “I can say that now, but I would be lying if I didn't think about it. There has been a lot of chat about the Slipper curse and it was certainly coursing through my mind in the week leading up to her comeback today.

“There's been plenty of them (Slipper winners that failed to train on). I had Stay Inside a few years ago who didn't really come back. But she had a long break of nearly eight weeks in the paddock post the Slipper and this was only her fourth start. It is terrific to see her back a winner."

The slow wind-up to the filly’s big finish did have Freedman slightly concerned about the filly’s capacity to reel them in.

“I was a little bit concerned when Tommy (Berry) was sitting so pretty on her, knowing there were race-fit horses around her and she is first-up since March," he said.

“I was urging him to maybe get going, but he knew what he had underneath him. She's got a great will to win and I thought, when she got a neck or half-length in front, it would take a good one to run her down.”

While questions were inevitably asked about a possible tilt at the G1 Everest, Freedman was pragmatic.

“We are kind of on the wrong leg now,” he said. “It is the Premiere Stakes next week then two weeks to The Everest. The plan is for this filly to return here to Rosehill for the Roman Consul Stakes and then we will look at the Coolmore Stud Stakes.

“I do know (Emirates Park) Hussein Lootah would love to race Marhoona on next season so we might go there (The Everest) next year. But you never say never although it is unlikely at this stage.”

Sales: Marhoona was bred and retained to race by Emirates Park.

Pedigree: Marhoona is now the winner of three from four total starts, with her only miss coming when running second in the G2 Reisling Stakes behind Tempted. She is also one of four stakes winners for Salma (Encosta De Lago), an unraced daughter of Group 3-winning Salameh (Secret Savings {USA}), who is a half-sister to Al Maher.

Three-quarter-brother Hilal welcomed his first foals this spring from his base at Grangewilliam Stud, and stakes-winning half-sister Salateen (I Am Invincible), who was bought in 2021 for $300,000 by Rosemont Stud, was sent to Great Britain last year to visit Too Darn Hot (GB) on Southern Hemisphere time. Salma missed this season to Capitalist.

Slick Navy Pilot scores at Sandown to earn Guineas shot

Off of a last start second in the Listed Poseidon Stakes, 3-year-old colt Navy Pilot (I Am Invincible) went one better on Saturday to deny Bacash (Cosmic Force) in a $150,000 handicap. Trained by Ciaron Maher, the colt made a bold showing to get his nose in front on the line, and earn a shot at next month’s G1 Caulfield Guineas in the process.

“He travelled a little bit boldly in the run, but (that’s) not too bad for him and he had the finishing touch there to get over the top,” Maher’s stable representative Leigh Allen said.

“He's shown this preparation he's taken a step forward, and I'd imagine now we could go to the Caulfield Guineas … he should be given the opportunity for that and that was the aim out of today.”

Apprentice jockey Logan Bates praised the colt’s performance, saying, “He savaged the line late. He's a lovely colt, a little bit slow into stride but he was quick to muster. He's still quite new going this way. He still doesn't know how to put them away yet.

“He's got a lot of raw ability he's using at the moment, so it's exciting for the team.”

Sales: Navy Pilot passed in when offered by Segenhoe Stud at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and is raced by Phoenix Thoroughbreds.

Pedigree: He is a full brother to dual Group 2 winner Tiz Invincible (I Am Invincible), out of Amuletum (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), a winning half-sister to Anamoe. Amuletum is due to deliver a foal by the late Wootton Bassett (GB) in November.

Stakes goals loom for Aleppo Pine after Sandown victory

While most eyes would have been on the blue silks going around in the Golden Rose, Aleppo Pine (Blue Point {Ire}) flew the Godolphin flag proudly down at Sandown, scoring his second career victory in a $150,000 quality over 1000 metres. Now trained by Ben, Will, and JD Hayes at Lindsay Park, the colt ran down Cannyworth (Written Tycoon) to score comfortably by half a length.

“I think we'll just see how he pulls up and try to find a suitable stakes race in a few weeks' time. We'll have a think about where that is and talk to Team Godolphin," said Ben Hayes.

“We're really pleased. We wanted to see improvement because he was racing to stay a colt. (After) today, he's been able to remain a colt, which is fantastic.

“Probably 1000 metres (is his best distance). If he starts to learn to relax, which he did today over 1000 metres, he could get back out in trip to 1200 or 1300 metres. Today was all about getting him to relax and hitting the line, and he did that today.”

Sales: Aleppo Pine is another homebred for the Godolphin operation.

Pedigree: Out of the top producer Retsina (Redoute’s Choice), Aleppo Pine is a half-brother to the stakes winners Savatiano (Street Cry {Ire}), Vilana (Hallowed Crown), and Athiri (Lonhro), who have 13 black-type victories between them. Retsina delivered a filly by Native Trail (GB) in early September.