Saturday Summary: Beiwacht brilliant at the 1400 metres again in the Memsie

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Beiwacht too big, bold and brave in 'The Memsie'

It would have been a difficult call to make after the autumn for Beiwacht’s (Bivouac) owners Godolphin on whether to retire their dual Group 1-winning son of Bivouac to stud duties or race on like his sire did. After Saturday's racing Godolphin will be smiling as their exciting prospect and dominant horse Beiwacht has now added the G1 Memsie Stakes to his record as a 4-year-old, to go with his wins in the G1 Golden Rose and the G1 All Aged Stakes as a 3-year-old.

The race was never really in doubt as Nash Rawiller sent Beiwacht straight to the front, with the evergreen 9-year-old Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) sitting on the outer and Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express) also handy. The well-favoured Jimmysstar (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) settled about sixth on the outer, while William Pike settled Cosmic Crusader (NZ) (Maurice {Jpn}) well back.

But Beiwacht kicked hard and always had the race in his keeping, scoring by three lengths with ease from Mr Brightside, who was great having his first race since last November, and Cosmic Crusader, who ran on strongly after not having the cleanest of runs throughout in third.

Only a week earlier, Beiwacht was scratched from the G1 Winx Stakes with a raised temperature, but by Monday morning everything was clear and the push was towards the G1 Memsie Stakes.

"We didn't panic," Winning trainer Waller said.

"It came up enough to say he didn't need to leave the stable and remarkably his blood on Monday was perfect.

"We galloped him at Rosehill on Tuesday. He was fine on Wednesday, and everything has been good since, so whatever it was, it didn't last long."

Beiwacht is now a three-time Group 1 winner over the 1400 metre journey and Waller said he would speak to the Godolphin group to determine plans although he did suggest that international travel was not beyond Beiwacht.

"We said last year we were keen to take him internationally, but he's not a real straight horse," Waller said.

"He was out of his comfort zone in the Lightning, and it dented our confidence a little bit. He's a specialist 1400-metre type horse, so there are some international thoughts there."

Waller said Beiwacht had fitted in well with his stable and, for a four-year-old entire, was well relaxed pre-race.

"Saddling him up before the race, he was a delight to work with," Waller said.

"He was really focussed. It sounds like I'm talking about a person, but he was really in the zone and just concentrating on his racing.

"We'll find something. I'll talk to the Godolphin team and I'm sure there will be some good races in store for him."

Sales info: Beiwacht is a homebred for Godolphin.

Pedigree: Beiwacht is one of two stakes winners out of the Listed Chairman’s Stakes winner Metastasio (Street Cry {Ire}), who alongside the three-time Group 1 winner has left the Listed winner Gravina (Sebring).

Beiwacht’s 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 in recent times has left a 3-year-old filly named Cafe Reine (Bivouac), a 2-year-old filly by Microphone and is due to deliver a foal by Bivouac in September.

Oliveanotherday stamps himself as a sprinting star

The progressive sprinting 4-year-old Oliveanotherday (Nicconi) stamped himself as a potential star in the making with a facile victory in the G3 The Heath over 1100 metres at Caulfield on Saturday, with the win being his sixth from only eight starts and his fifth in succession.

The Tom Dabernig-trained runner went for a spell in May on the back of a win in the Listed Wangoom Handicap at Warrnambool and, after a couple of jump-out wins, resumed in stylish fashion, scoring by a length and a half in the hands of Harry Coffey.

It was the Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained Bridal Waltz (Snitzel) that took up the running in the hands of Ben Melham, with the 2024 winner of the race Recommendation (Shalaa {Ire}) settling on the outer and Coffey electing to trail on Oliveanotherday from the inside barrier.

Bridal Waltz travelled well into the straight and led up. Coffey had nowhere to go and persisted on a run opening, and his patience paid off as he burst through to score by a widening length and a half from Bridal Waltz, with War Machine (NZ) (Harry Angel {Ire}) running on nicely for third from back in the field.

Tom Dabernig had a sense of relief about him as he was concerned that the inside draw may play against him.

"You don't get your hands on these horses very often. We were a little bit concerned about barrier one and I was mindful, talking to Harry Coffey during the week, of not wanting to chase the speed and hold a position and give him too hard a run,” he said.

“Turning for home when he was held up, we were all a bit tense. He's a horse that can quicken and get himself out of trouble in two or three strides and when he hit the front, I saw that Harry didn't have to use the whip all that much and was hands and heels and he won nicely.

"It's a great way to kick the preparation off and hopefully he can continue into the spring and take those next steps."

“He's a horse that does everything so easy. When he was going through the grades he was winning his races by good margins and in good times,” Dabernig added.

“I understand as we get deeper into the spring, it gets tougher, but now he's a lovely sound horse and the sky's the limit."

Dabernig suggested it is all about targeting a Group 1 race as major target.

“The ultimate goal is to try and get him to a Group 1 in best possible shape and we might look at the Bobbie Lewis to give him a look at the straight at Flemington which might open up an option for Cup week.

"The goal at the moment would probably be the Manikato Stakes. He's a very good Caulfield horse."

Sales info: Oliveanotherday was bred by Spring B Estate and is raced by Mr A T Harrison, Ms A Pollard-Gard, Mr M Harrison, Mr S P Ross, Mr T Machin and Mr C Forrest.

Pedigree info: Oliveanotherday is the first foal out of Olive (All Too Hard), who was placed on the track at Moonee Valley. She is out of Kalamata (Desert Prince {Ire}), a New Zealand Listed winner who was also Group 1 placed.

Olive is also a half-sister to the classy Stirling Grove (Mossman), a seven-time winner including the G3 Sires’ Produce Stakes, and placed in the G1 Goodwood Handicap.

This is the extended family of the Group 1 winner Hucklebuck (Elvstroem) and the dual Group 3-winner and G1 Oakleigh Plate-placed She’s Bulletproof (Shooting To Win).

Olive, in recent times, has produced a 2-year-old Foxwedge filly and is due to foal a full-sibling to Oliveanotherday in late September after being served by Nicconi last spring.

Custom claims her rivals in the Courtza

The Ciaron Maher-trained 4-year-old mare Custom (Street Boss {USA}) had been a consistent performer in her career, having won twice previously and run second in the Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes and fourth in races such as the G3 Manifred Stakes and the Listed Desirable Stakes as a 3-year-old filly.

But she had her biggest day in the sun on Saturday at Caulfield, claiming the G3 Courtza Stakes in the hands of Ethan Brown, formerly known as the Cockram Stakes.

There was good pace early over the 1200 metres as the classy mares dashed early, with the hot favourite Shadhavar (Pride Of Dubai) eventually getting to the front in the hands of Damian Lane after working a little bit, with Bewitchery (Blue Point {Ire}) sitting outside the leader and Wrote To Arataki (NZ) (Wrote {Ire}) in the trail.

Lane had the field rolling and kicked strongly at the top of the straight, but Brown had weaved some magic aboard Custom and loomed at the 150-metre mark before bursting away to score with ease by just under two lengths from Photograph (Blue Point {Ire}), who made it a Godolphin-owned quinella, with Salty Pearl (Tagaloa) a further length back in third in an eye-catching effort with her heavier weight with her Group 2 penalty, a nose ahead of Shadhavar in fourth, who was honest.

“She ran a peak the start before in that really good win here, and then we just ran it back two weeks, and I think it just took the shine off her a little bit,” said winning trainer Ciaron Maher.

“But we were confident, the favourite here (Shadhavar) sort of ran a 95 last start and we ran a 95 rating two starts ago. So, we were confident we're in the mix, and just with that three-week break, she's gone back to her best. So very good ride by Ethan and great job by the team to get her back peaking again.

“It's good when you've got a good team and Goodolphin Australia, they've been a massive asset and a pleasure and to get some black type for a filly like this, I'm sure it's very big for them.

Maher explained that it hasn't all been plain sailing with Custom.

“She’s progressive. She's been a bit quirky. She's had little issues and stuff in the past, and she's still coming in the coat as well, she looks a little bit wintery in the yard… we'll just keep raising the bar.

“As I said she's still got improvement, looks-wise and just in every way so that's a good start for her to nail a stakes win, so we won't over race her, she seems to like that gap, but we'll see what happens."

“She’s progressed a lot this filly from prep to prep, she had a lovely run in transit, I was grinning mid-race, I could see the favourite working throughout,” said Brown. “She had a lovely suck up run behind, spent no petrol and showed a great turn of foot the last 300 (metres).

Sales info: Custom was bred and is raced by Godolphin.

Pedigree info: Custom is one of four winners out of the unraced Dubawi (Ire) mare Wedding Veil (Ire).

She has a very strong international pedigree, being a three-quarter-sister to the Group 2-winning 2-year-old Saba Desert (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and a half-sister to the Group 1-winning colt Ibn Khaldun (USA) (Dubai Destination {USA}).

Custom’s grandam Gossamer (GB) (Sadler’s Wells {USA}) was a star filly, winning the G1 Irish One Thousand Guineas and the G1 Ascot Fillies Mile. This is also the extended family of the Godolphin-owned G1 Victorian Oaks winner Zardozi (Kingman {GB}).

Wedding Veil, in recent times, has left a 3-year-old filly named Flower Crown (Victor Ludorum (GB), a 2-year-old filly named Armadale (Anamoe) and missed to Street Boss (USA) last spring.

The big grey shines brightest in the Heatherlie

All the pre-race talk before the Listed Heatherlie Stakes was focused around the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Yellow Jersey (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}), but it was the well-bred and Group 1-winning Kingswood (GB) (Roaring Lion {USA}), who scored, and scored in style in the hands of John Allen with a hefty impost of 61kg.

The super-consistent 10-year-old Just Folk (Magnus) led up the field at a strong clip in the hands of Blake Shinn, while the favourite Yellow Jersey enjoyed a lovely spot in the one-one, albeit racing a bit keenly.

At the top of the straight, Mark Zahra aboard Yellow Jersey pulled out to clear running and John Allen aboard Kingswood peeled off his back after initially settling worse than midfield on the rail, and it was soon very obvious that he was travelling the much better.

Just Folk kept on kicking and eventually Kingswood gunned him down to score by three-quarters of a length over Just Folk, giving trainer Gavin Bedggood the quinella, with the tough stayer Deakin (Fr) (Australia {GB}) running into third.

Gavin Bedggood was quick to give praise to the ride by Allen, who found an exconical spot from a tricky draw.

“It was a great win, and a great ride. From barrier 17, he had him three back on the fence, so well played by John,” Bedggood said.

“We danced every dance. We raced through the Melbourne spring; we raced through the summer months.

“He was able to have a really good break after the autumn. He’s been in work for probably four months, so I knew fitness wasn’t a question here today.

“I just wanted to see a fair, even track. It was a six for him as he doesn’t want really soft ground.

“The plan has always been to try and get to a Caulfield Cup fourth up. He will probably be weighted out of the Naturalism now, so he will probably go to the Underwood in three weeks and see where we line up.”

Winning jockey John Allen was very pleased with the first-up win and the way Kingswood had presented.

“He’s come back in great order, Gavin and his team were confident he’d run a big race, so he’s performed well in the past, he’s shown he’s definitely capable of winning a race like this, it worked out well.

“We had a tricky draw but ended up getting a nice run through them and he did the rest.

“Gavin said he had a very smooth preparation with him this time, he’s had a few hiccups in the past so hopefully he can be winning nicer races in the future.”

Sales info: Owner Glyn Davies paid €130,000 (AU$229,000) for Kingswood out of the Staffordstown draft at the 2021 Goffs Ireland Yearling Sale.

Pedigree info: Kingswood is one of two stakes winners from his multiple Listed-winning dam All At Sea (GB) (Sea The Stars {GB}), and is a half-brother to European Champion 3-Year-Old Stayer Eldar Eldarov (GB), who was a dual Group 1-winner and stands at Chapel Stud.

His second dam is the influential Group 1 winner Albanova (GB) (Alzao {USA}), grandam of G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}), while the four-time Group-winner Alalcance (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) also features in the extended pedigree.