Big day for Widden’s Trapeze Artist as Griff takes Guineas
Maher and Eustace colt becomes the stallion’s first elite-level winner with Caulfield win
Widden Stud’s second-season sire, Trapeze Artist (Snitzel), was provided with his best result since joining the stallion ranks, when his son Griff became his first Group 1 winner, shocking more fancied rivals to win yesterday’s Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m).
Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, who were enjoying their first win in the Group 1, Griff was one of four runners for the stable and was rated the outsider of the quartet, starting at unfancied odds of $31.
Ridden by Ben Melham, Griff led from the early stages and looked to have the race in the bag, after finding plenty under pressure. However, there was late drama, when Griff veered starkly left inside the final 100 metres, causing a chain reaction of interference to the trailing pack.
Melham was able to straighten the colt up and eventually finished a length and three-quarters ahead of Veight, a colt from the first crop of Yulong’s second-season sire Grunt (O’Reilly). The previously unbeaten colt Steparty (Artie Schiller) finished a length further back in third. The winner’s stablemate, JJ Atkins (Gr 1, 1600m) winner, King Colorado (Kingman), finished fourth.
After looking at the stewards’ vision, jockey Damian Lane, the rider of runner-up Veight, elected not to fire in a protest.
Griff became Trapeze Artist’s first stakes winner when he took out the Exford Plate (Listed, 1400m) on September 16, before providing the sire with a first Group win in the Stutt Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m).
Co-trainer David Eustace was quick to pay tribute to Sean Griffiths, the colt’s owner, who he described as relatively new to the sport.
“It’s a great thrill and it’s great to win a race for Sean Griffiths. He’s very, very new to the game; this is his first year buying horses and he’s put a lot of faith in us,” said Eustace.
“It’s not easy to get a nice horse and to get a Guineas winner. They’re rare to come by and for him to own the horse 100 per cent, it’s fair enough again.
“He’s got a bright future, the horse. He’s still furnishing and Sean is going to think this is easy now, winning a Guineas in his first year.”
Melham said: “He began exceptionally well and the more I looked at the race the more I thought initially there was no speed and in group one races that kind of plays on people.
“Throughout the day, things can change and when he began in the manner that he did, he rolled across and got across so easily.
“He just lobbed along in a beautiful rhythm. I started to quicken up from the 500-600 [metre mark] and he spotted something on the inside of the track and nearly threw the race away. He did a right-turn on me.
“Very good, courageous effort by the horse and a great job by the stable. They kept him up for a while and kept him winning. Here, he is now a Caulfield Guineas winner.”
Melham’s day was significantly soured after the stewards slapped the jockey with a hefty ten day suspension for causing interference in the final 100 metres, when insufficiently clear of Veight, Steparty, King Colorado and Verdad (Russian Revolution).
The suspension begins after next Saturday’s Caulfield Cup meeting on October 21 and ends at midnight on October 30.
Melham pleaded not guilty and told the stewards that Griff was spooked and, despite his attempts to straighten him up, didn’t react immediately.
“I couldn’t do any more. I was steering left and he kept running out, so I tried to correct him with my left hand,” Melham said.
“He ran out underneath me sharply and he continued to shift as I tried to straighten. Clearly the horse is spooked and that’s not careless, that’s a horse spooking and a rider doing his utmost to protect his other riders. I plead not guilty.”
Melham said it was clear Griff had reacted to the person on a ladder and was spooked by it.
RV chief steward Rob Montgomery told Melham he should have done more to straighten his mount and should have put the whip away in order to protect his fellow riders.
Melham was also fined $1,000 for two consecutive whip strikes prior to the 100 metres mark on Griff. The jockey is expected to appeal the suspension.
The colt is from the second crop of Bert Vieira’s multiple Group 1 winner Trapeze Artist and he was an $80,000 buy for Kavanagh Racing Stables from the Widden Stud draft at last year’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
Bred by Widden Stud and Adrian Goonan, Griff (3 c Trapeze Artist – Chateau Griffo by Sebring) is the second foal out of the winning, juvenile stakes-placed Sebring (More Than Ready) mare Chateau Griffo, herself a daughter of Listed runner-up Moulin Rouge (Commands).
Chateau Griffo has a yearling colt by North Pacific (Brazen Beau) and has recently produced a colt by Swettenham Stud-based sire I Am Immortal (I Am Invincible).
Trapeze Artist, who covered 183 mares last year – his highest total in four seasons at stud – will stand the 2023 breeding season for a fee of $55,000 (inc GST).