WA Guineas- bound colt Beatty could not have been more impressive on his return to the track as a three year old, when romping in the Listed Belgravia Stakes over 1200m at Ascot yesterday.
Beatty confirmed that he is the horse to beat in Perth's upcoming G2 1600m Classic.
Having trialled up in fine style, Sean and Jake Casey's Champion WA 2YO of last season had to carry 59kg against fourteen high quality rivals, including his dual stakes placed stablemate He's A Machino (Maschino), last start Max Simmons Stakes winner Big Red Zoom ( Long Leaf) and third placed Boy Crush (Manhattan Rain) who all carried 57 kg.
They were joined by a host of highly promising youngsters including Godspeed (Playing God), Achy Breaky (Rommel), Cos I Am ( I Am Invincible) and Flying Swagman (Bivouac).
Beatty had drawn wide, but jockey Lucy Fiore settled him quickly in a midfield position as Boy Crush strode to the lead when the field jumped away.
Achy Breaky, Flying Swagman and Cos I Am were prominently placed throughout the race as was 200/1 roughie Capall Gasta ( Splintex) on the rail.
He's A Machino endured another luckless run when trapped wide, exactly as he was first up in the Max Simmonds.
Likewise Big Red Zoom, who found himself posted in no man's land. Beatty had found cover behind him, and Godspeed had gone back to last as Boy Crush led the Belgravia field for home, with Flying Swagman at his quarters challenging strongly.
Capall Gasta was still there fighting doggedly in third. Achy Breaky, Cos I Am and He's A Machino were all making steady ground, but nothing could match the sudden and spectacular acceleration of Beatty!
The colt sprouted wings in the straight and Fiore barely had to move as he rocketed to a devastating hands and heels win - almost one and a half lengths ahead of the filly Achy Breaky who tried very hard for Chris Parnham.
The promising Godspeed had followed Beatty home with a rattling run from last to grab third from In Good Nicc (Nicconi) fourth, Capall Gasta fifth and He's A Machino next.
Beatty the excitement machine has come back bigger and better! His Belgravia Stakes victory advances the colt's record to 6 - 5-1 and just over $600,000 in earnings.
He’s a star ?? Beatty wins the Belgravia first up in what looks a BIG preparation ahead for the talented colt ?? Some eye catching runs behind him ?? ?? 7plus, @Racing, Ch 78/68, Foxtel 529 or via our website. https://t.co/MJvActp0yC
— Racing WA TV (@RacingWATV) October 24, 2026
“He's come back unreal,” said co-trainer Jake Casey.
“He's looking great, his work has been super, and he showed that today.
“He's a big gross horse, you've got to get the weight off him slowly. He'll benefit from this again, and we're really looking forward to this prep with him.
“There's still plenty of improvement to come. He was up and about before the race today. I was a little bit worried, because he can get a bee in his bonnet, and he did. Luckily he pulled himself together, but hopefully this takes the edge off him.
“He won the Sires (1400m) comfortably, running through the line so I don't think a mile is going to be a problem, and obviously back to set weights ( in the Guineas) he'll definitely be in with a chance.”
Beatty’s regular rider last season Willie Pike was over in Melbourne piloting Cosmic Crusader to a historic Cox Plate, so Lucy Fiore got the chance to ride Beatty for the first time.
“He is a very talented colt!” she said.
“I was a little bit worried on the bend because I had to give him a check to come back…. he was getting really keen”.
“I had to check him quite hard on straightening but it didn't matter, he picked them up and put them away. He's such a big horse I doubt he even felt it ( 59kg)- and we know that as he goes further he gets better. He's a machine of a horse”.
Beatty was the hard luck story of last season's Karrakatta Plate when he fumbled the start badly after being stood for an eternity in the gates.
He came home like a train but not fast enough to grab the winner Afireofgidgeecoals (Too Darn Hot), then reversed the placings in the Sires.
The sparkling return of “Gidgee” last week in the Max Simmons Stakes only makes their juvenile rivalry look even better, and both horses look set for big Ascot carnival campaigns.
Beatty is a homebred for renowned WA racing identity Wally Daley.
The son of Gingerbread Man is the first stakes winner, fifth named foal and fourth winner from three to race from Femette (Murtajill) - a winning daughter of Wally and his late brother George’s 2004 Gimcrack Stakes heroine Refemme (Surtee).
Beatty's year younger half brother by Shooting To Win is named Peter Gunn and has won two and placed twice in just five starts, while half sister Camera Action by the same sire has won four races to date.
Femette has a Toronado daughter Toronado Magic who is retained by Daley -she has produced three foals for him by Maschino, Rommel and Beatty's sire Gingerbread Man - while Femette herself produced a full brother to Beatty last season and a colt by Rommel this spring.
Refemme was the only stakes winner from her dam Guinevere (Agincourt) and this speedy family descends from the VATC Debutante Stakes winner Limousine (Landau) - her best progeny was the Roma Cup winner Star Glitter.
This is a branch of family 2- which traces to a daughter of Heroic named Hall Mark's Sister and yes she was a full sister to that Hall Mark, the great champion of the 1930s who won the AJC / VRC Derbies and Melbourne Cup at three years, and many other major races over all distances!
This is the family of the legendary imported matriarch Teppo by Ladas, and many great horses have traced their ancestry to her.
Beatty is bred
Roberto x5m,5m
He is one of ten stakes winners to date for Yarradale Stud's ever-reliable Gingerbread Man, who is also the damsire of Saturday’s G2 McEwen Stakes hero Smooth Chino!
Gingerbread Man's sire Shamardal is bred 5f x 4f to Halo and 5m x 5m to his sire Hail To Reason - including an important sex balancing female line of Roberto, which comes via his sire Giant's Causeway.
That Storm Cat son was linebred to Roberto's family (12-c) as it is also the tribe of his damsire Rahy (by Halo)
As Roberto is a frequent presence in top class juvenile pedigrees, we can see why this mating brought forth such a precocious colt - who is going right on with the job at three!
Other notable aspects of Beatty's pedigree are his linebreeding to Blue Hens Almahmoud (Machiavellian, Danehill, Halo) Myrtlewood ( Mr Prospector, Seattle Slew, Never Say Die is by their relative Baldric), Cherokee Rose ( Storm Cat, Be My Guest, Bold Commander and relative Red God), Nile Lily ( Rock Of Gibraltar, Riverman) Betty Derr (Reverse, Swaps) and to old faithfuls Lalun and La Troienne.
The great sire Beau Pere makes many appearances in this pedigree - and he is sex balanced in Gingerbread Man's third dam Miss Diable - a descendant of Phar Lap's full sister Fortune's Wheel, the seventh dam of the great Sunline.
Beatty is linebred to Grey Sovereign, Star Kingdom, Nashua, Round Table and more.
Gingerbread Man commenced service in 2013, and be it summer or winter he is never without a good horse or two going around.
The prolific son of Shamardal already has seventeen winners this season, including rising superstar Beatty - while 9YO iron horse Ginger Baker recently placed in the Kalgoorlie Cup.
Gingerbread Man stands at Yarradale Stud on a fee of $5,500
