From the point of view of the bloodstock world, Beiwacht was the most significant winner from last weekend with his Group I Golden Rose victory propelling his sire Bivouac to the top of the second season sires list, but it wasn’t just Godolphin cheering him home with a number of other Aussie breeders now invested in his family.
Global bloodstock operations such as Godolphin cannot possibly keep every filly they breed which often provides a big opportunity for other breeders to get a foothold in families being bred up to the best sires.
Eddie Hirsch, who owns Woodside Park is one breeder that has seized on that opportunity and is now the owner of Metastasio, who is the dam of Beiwacht.
A stakes-winning daughter of Street Cry (IRE) and a half-sister to dual Group I winner Colette, Metastasio was offered at the 2024 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale and her pedigree page looked like this.
Beiwacht had a name, but had obviously not impressed anyone enough to warrant hanging on to Metastasio with two of her daughters also discarded by Darley in previous years La Romanina (sold for $32,500 at MM National in 2020) and Song Writer (sold for $22,500 at MM National in 2023).
That said, Woodside Park Stud’s Eddie Hirsch stumped up $110,000 for Metastasio and is now the proud owner of a Group I producer and a yearling three-quarter sister to Beiwacht.
“She was in foal to Microphone (son of Exceed and Excel as is Bivouac) when we bought her and produced a filly for us late last spring,” said Mark Dodemaide of Woodside Park.
“We covered her just the once at the end of last year by Benbatl, but she missed and then with Beiwacht coming out to win the Silver Slipper we decided to go back to Bivouac as Eddie has a breeding right to him.”
It’s not the first time Hirsch has done well in purchasing from Godolphin as they also secured Group winning Lonhro mare Obsequious for $27,500 through Inglis Digital July in 2020 in foal to Frosted (USA).
A few months after that and her two year-old Frosted colt Ingratiating came out to win the Listed VRC Maribyrnong Trial before placing in both the Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper. He went on to win over $1.9million in prizemoney and is now at stud in WA.
Obsequious has a yearling filly by Bivouac and has foaled this spring producing a filly by Russian Revolution.
“We’ve had a bit of luck buying from Darley, usually there is some petrol in the tank with their mares!” said Dodemaide.
Footnote: Beiwacht has a two year-old full sister called Cafe Reine, who is in work with Chris Waller.
