Saturday’s A$300,000 Group Three Grand Prix Stakes (1800m) at Eagle Farm marked a new peak performance for Karaka graduate Beau Dazzler (NZ) (Ardrossan), who has a full-brother in the catalogue for Book 1 of Karaka 2025.
Previously the winner of last season’s Listed Phelan Ready (1000m) at the same venue, Beau Dazzler has now had 11 starts for two wins, two placings and A$376,702 in stakes. He was bought for $85,000 from Book 2 of Karaka 2023 by Paul Moroney Bloodstock, Catheryne Bruggeman and Sears Racing.
Beau Dazzler was a frequent competitor at black-type level last season, following up his Phelan Ready success with a seventh in the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m), a fourth in the Listed The Phoenix (1500m) and a fifth in the Group One JJ Atkins Stakes (1600m). In all of those events, he was doing his best work late in the race.
Saturday brought a welcome return to the winners’ circle as Beau Dazzler produced an explosive finish out of the pack to win by an ever-widening margin of three lengths. He was ridden by Jag Guthmann-Chester.
Trainers Tony and Maddy Sears are now plotting out a path towards the Group One Queensland Derby (2400m), which will be run at Eagle Farm on May 31.
“We have always thought he would be a Queensland Derby horse,” Tony Sears said. “I said to the Jag the other day to stick with him and once he got to 1800 metres and beyond, he would just be winning. I was so confident he could win today.
“I did have some qualms about the heavy track today, but I said to the jockey, whatever you do, just get off the fence. I thought if he could get out wide, he would be winning, because he would be strong at the end.
“We will look at the Derby now and work backwards from that.
“Everything he did as a two-year-old was just a bonus. He won a 1000-metre stakes race as a two-year-old, he should never have been winning that sort of race over only 1000 metres.”
Beau Dazzler is one of four black-type winners for emerging Waikato Stud stallion Ardrossan, who also had a winner at Randwick on Saturday with Saltcoats (NZ). Ardrossan has a strong crop of yearlings about to go through the ring at Karaka 2025, with 15 in Book 1 and 18 in Book 2.
The dam of Beau Dazzler is Pwerfect (NZ) (Pentire), who has produced two winners from three foals to race. In addition to Beau Dazzler, she is also the dam of this season’s promising two-year-old Toretto (NZ) (Ardrossan), who is on a path towards the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) at Ellerslie in January.
Elsdon Park will offer a full-brother to both Beau Dazzler and Toretto during Book 1 of Karaka 2025. The colt (Lot 228) by Ardrossan out of Pwerfect will go through the ring as Lot 228.
| Vendor | Mapperley Stud Ltd |
| Purchaser | Paul Moroney Bloodstock/Catheryne Bruggeman/Sears Racing (Queensland) |
| Breeding | Ardrossan – Pwerfect |
| Sale | Lot 943, Karaka 2023 Book 2, $85,000 |
| Bred by | Dewar Partnership |
