A dual G1 winner last season at 3, Chris Waller’s Bewicht added a third elite level score to his record when resuming with an emphatic three length victory in the $750,000 G1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Last seen defeating the older horses in the G1 All-Aged Stakes, the Godolphin bred and raced son of Bivouac headed to Melbourne to commence his 4yo campaign, and as one of five runners in the race for the powerful Waller stable, the stallion prospect was highly regarded with rider Nash Rawiller in the saddle.
From the middle of the line, Rawiller jumped Beiwacht swiftly out of the gates, going forward to settle in the lead with war horse and multiple G1 winner Mr Brightside (NZ) settling just over a length off him.
Last year’s winner Treasurethe Moment was getting a good run in fourth, while the second favourite Jimmysstar (NZ) was back in fifth on the outside of Waller’s recently Crowned Australian Champion 3YO Colt Autumn Boy.
With the runs starting to come, firstly from James McDonald aboard Angel Capital, Beiwacht took the field into the home straight where the 4yo was full of running.
Having controlled the race throughout, Rawiller and Beiwacht kicked into another gear, exploding away from his rivals to win by three lengths from a gallant Mr Brightside.
Working home well into third after a slightly impeded run was race favourite Cosmic Crusader (NZ) who finished just ahead of Treasurethe Moment in fourth while Waller’s 100/1 shot Buckaroo (GB) produced an enormous effort (like it did last year), finishing fifth.
Waller was full of praise of the ride from Rawiller that saw Beiwacht add a third G1 victory to his impressive race record.
“It was a great ride by Nash today and to see him come back, it was a terrific win,” said Waller.
“It came about (Rawiller getting the ride) in the autumn when he won the All-Aged Stakes when his normal rider wasn’t available. He loves Caulfield, Nash, and he’s a patriotic Victorian and he doesn’t say much. It was the perfect booking, as simple as that.
“He loves Caulfield, Nash, and he’s so patriotic, being a Victorian.”
Continuing his affinity with the 1400m – the distance of all three of his G1 victories, Waller will be on the look out for another race over the trip.
“We said last year we were keen to take him internationally, but he’s not a real straight horse. He was out of his comfort zone in the Lightning, and it dented our confidence a little bit. He’s a specialist 1400-metre type horse, so there are some international thoughts there,” Waller explained.
“We’ll find something. I’ll talk to the Godolphin team and I’m sure there will be some good races in store for him.”
Having ridden him to success in the All-Aged Stakes, Rawiller was excited to have gone back to back at G1 level on the 4yo.
“It’s always nice to win a Group 1, especially where you came from. I’ve always said Randwick and Caulfield are my favourite tracks and there’s good reason for it; I’ve always ridden Caulfield well,” said Rawiller. “He was exciting in the autumn, but that was impressive."
“We quickened really well, and I felt he had a lot more to give when we entered the straight. We cut the corner and got them chasing a bit, while he was still travelling.
“I thought it was going to take a good one to beat us.
“I was able to sit there and enjoy it.”
With four wins coupled with four placed efforts, Beiwacht took his career earnings to $2,501,975 from his 14 starts to date.
The Godolphin bred and raced colt is the lone G1 from four winners out of the Street Cry mare Metastasio, herself a half-sister to dual G1 winner Colette, a daughter of 2105 G1 Golden Rose winner Hallowed Crown.
A half-brother to Listed winner Gravina, Beiwacht’s year younger full sister named Café Reine (Bivouac) is also in the care of Chris Waller and is yet to race but has been to the trials on two occasions.
Metastasio was subsequently sold by Godolphin at the 2024 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $110,000 to Hirsch Racing where she foaled a filly by Microphone before missing to Woodside Park Stud's multiple G1-winning Dubawi stallion Benbatl (GB) in his first season at stud.
The mare was then covered by Bivouac, with the resultant foal, a full relation to the multiple G1 winner Beiwacht due in the spring.
Beiwacht is one of two G1 winners amongst eight stakes winners for the multiple G1 winner Bivouac with the Darley Kelvinside based son of Exceed And Excel standing for a fee of $33,000 (inc. GST) this season.
