Beau produces dazzling display in Grand Prix

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Beau Dazzler (Ardrossan) stamped himself a leading contender for the Queensland Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) with an authoritative victory in the Eagle Farm mud in Saturday’s Grand Prix (Gr 3, 1800m).

Ridden by Jag Guthmann-Chester, the colt was sent onto the Heavy10 track with some support as an $8.50 chance in the $300,000 event, despite having run unplaced in his three previous heavy outings.

But with those runs having been from 1200 metres to 1630 metres, the Tony and Maddysen Sears-trained, New Zealand-bred three-year-old showed it was distance rather than going that had been holding him back.

He settled in fifth spot from gate one and eased one horse off the rails over the back of the course. He was still three lengths off leader Apuntar (The Mission) at the 300 metres, but came home full of running past that tiring rival to score by 2.92 lengths.

Sun Worshipper (Sun City) and Madame Lexis (Pariah) finished strongly to gain their first dashes of black type in the minor placings, while Apuntar finished fourth.

Bred by the Dewar Partnership, Beau Dazzler was sold at the 2023 Karaka Yearling Sale from the Mapperley Stud draft to the Sears team along with Paul Moroney Bloodstock and Catheryne Bruggeman for NZ$85,000.

Showing early versatility, he became a 1000-metre stakes winner at his second start as a December two-year-old, in Eagle Farm’s Phelan Ready Stakes (Listed, 1000m). He later produced highly encouraging runs behind the placegetters in two Brisbane winter carnival juvenile features – a fourth in The Phoenix (Listed, 1500m) and a fifth in the JJ Atkins (Gr 1, 1600m).

After Saturday’s imperious victory, Maddysen Sears said he now looked ready to fulfil the Classic promise seen in him as a yearling, with the $1 million Queensland Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) at Eagle Farm on May 31 his long-range target.

“He has always shown us a lot of ability, but he’s a tricky horse and not always easy to do things with,” Sears told Sky Central. 

“We bought him as a Derby style of horse, so we didn’t think the distance today would be any problem and when the rain came, it was almost going to be a 2000-metre race how heavy it was. 

“His ability won him the race.” 

Sears said Beau Dazzler would have one more run this campaign at the same course in The Eagle Way (2100m) in two weeks before spelling to prepare for the Derby.

“I think he’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the Queensland Derby,” Sears said.  “He’s a stakes winner as a two-year-old and he’s gone on to do it now as a three-year-old. 

“I’m not sure what the future holds, but he’s a horse that keeps on improving.” 

Guthmann-Chester was initially delighted to see Beau Dazzler draw barrier one on Wednesday – until the heavens opened on Saturday.

“The way the track is playing today, one is not the place to be,” he said. “I was happy to pop off the fence and from there we got into a lovely rhythm.

“At the half mile I just had to bide my time, was able to suck up through the middle of them on the turn and we were able to present in the middle of the track and he was too good late.”

With Saturday’s win, Beau Dazzler became the first Group victor among four stakes winners from 52 runners worldwide (7.7 per cent) for Ardrossan (Redoute’s Choice), who’s just covered his sixth book at Waikato Stud for NZ$20,000 (plus GST).

He’s the third and best of four named foals for Pwerfect (Pentire), who was unplaced from six starts, and whose past five matings have been with Ardrossan. She currently has a yearling brother to Beau Dazzler, who will be offered by Elsdon Park at Book 1 of the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale in January. The colt is catalogued as Lot 228. 

Ardrossan enjoyed an across-state double on Saturday with his stakes-winning son Saltcoats taking out a Benchmark 88 (1800m) at Randwick.