Owners buzzing after Beetastic's Group 1 success

By Michael Guerin

One family connection led to another as Vaughan Blanchard trained his first Group 1 winner when Beetastic won the $102,000 Caduceus Club Classic at Alexandra Park on Saturday night.

The juvenile filly stormed home from last at 400m in the hands of Peter Ferguson to give Blanchard, who trains in partnership with his father Peter, the biggest win of his career.

“I don’t think I have even had many Group 1 starters let alone a winner,” said the 37-year-old.

He had more than just the training feat to be elated about as Blanchard also shares in the ownership of Beetastic with his wife Amy and his brother Kyle, along with well known jockeys Lee Magorrian and Rory Hutchings and IRT boss Richard Cole.

“Apparently Lee and Rory got kicked out of the pub they were watching the race in in Sydney because they were making so much noise,” laughed Blanchard.

The family ownership and training of Beetastic isn’t the only family connection as it was through training Beetastic’s half brother Hugotastic that Blanchard got interested in the filly.

“We liked him and also another brother called Mr Fantastic so when I saw this filly was passed in at the sales I got interested,” he explains.

“She was actually put into work with Zinny (Jeremy Young) so I asked Tony Grayling, who owned her, whether she was still for sale.

“She was, so I went down and watched her hopple up and liked what I saw so we bought her.”

Beetastic is hardly the most imposing horse but she has both speed and stamina and looks likely to keep improving as she strengthens.

“She isn’t paid up for the Sires’ Stakes so I’d say she will probably stay up here and be aimed at the Golden Gait series but she is paid up for everything next season.”

Hers was the performance of the night even overshadowing Sooner The Better finally beating Merlin in the IRT Spring Cup.

The Miracle Mile runner-up made the most of his front line draw to sit third most of the way and put a winning break on stablemate Merlin at the top of the straight and held him by a neck, with leader Lady Of The Light a brave third.

While beaten Merlin lost few admirers after starting from the 20m and he looks right on track for a huge spring and summer while Sooner The Better once again showed he will be competitive at any level.

The other highlights of the night of the night were Mako leading and holding out Cold Chisel and Better Knuckle Up in the Auckland Co-op Taxis 300-3000 Northern 3YO Stakes while Captain Sampson was outstanding winning the Woodlands Stud Sires’ Stakes heat for the juvenile boys. He came from the outside of the second line to storm over the top of leader The Jolly Roger in a 1:54.8 mile rate for the 1700m and looks a potential star in the making.