After battling out the finish of the Group III Spring Stakes at Morphettville a fortnight back, the South Australians Behemoth and Beau Rossa took their feud to Caulfield for Saturday’s $1,000,000 Group 1 Moet & Chandon Memsie Stakes (1400m) and the result was the same.
In a battle of the comeback jockeys, Brett Prebble on the defending champion Behemoth (All Too Hard) edged out Linda Meech on Beau Rossa (Unencumbered) by a head with triple Group 1 winner Tofane (Ocean Park) a half-length back in third.
Winning trainer David Jolly watched the race from Adelaide. He said that the son of All Too Hard had joined some exulted company with back to back wins in the Memsie.
“I’m in awe of it. As a kid you’re in awe of those sort of horses. He’s like a proper old-fashioned weight-for-age horse and it is beyond my wildest dreams,” Jolly said.
“That was a great race to watch.
“Once again, probably like the Spring Stakes, things change complexion. Streets Of Avalon, he missed it and got in behind them.
“I thought we were in a great spot early, but they really dropped anchor.
“I did say to Brett this morning that at least where you’re drawn, you might be able to cruise around them and maybe you’ll have horses on your inside that you can tuck away and make your move when you want to make your move. That’s how it panned out.
“He probably went a bit early but I think you had to given the tempo.
“Beau Rossa, unlucky again. I feel sorry for the boys because he’s really knocking at the door, that horse.
“I said to Brett that I don’t think he’s at full fitness yet at the 1400m. He’s probably got a bit to go and maybe that might have told on him late.
“We trained him a little bit that way because we’re only early in the spring. A bit like last time I feel like his third run was his best and that’s going to happen (at his) third or fourth run.
“I’ll discuss with Sam (Lyons) and we’ll see what weight he gets (in the Rupert Clarke) and probably go there.”
With his third win at the highest level, Behemoth advances his record to ten wins, four seconds, and one third from 24 starts with earnings of $3,216,625.
Bred by Walings Bloodstock, Behemoth was a bargain-basement $6,000 purchase by Grand Syndicates out of the Riversdale draft at the 2017 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale.
The son of All Too Hard had previously made $120,000 to the bid of Heritage Bloodstock out of the Tyreel Stud draft at the 2016 Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale.
Behemoth is the best of two winners from five to race out of the stakes-winning Zedrich mare Penny Banger, a half-sister to the Listed stakes-winner and Group 1 WATC Derby third Master Minx (Surtee).
Following Behemoth, Penny Banger had just one more foal before her death.
All Too Hard stands at Vinery Stud, where his 2021 fee is set at $33,000.
