World stage beckons for brilliant Beiwacht

Image: Beiwacht, Credit: Racing Photos

Outstanding Godolphin stallion Beiwacht (Bivouac) may be steered towards international targets after making a sensational return to score his third elite triumph in Saturday’s Memsie Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) at Caulfield.

Previously winning last spring’s Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) and the autumn’s All Aged Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) at three, the Chris Waller-trained galloper made it a top-tier treble over the trip with a dominant display in Melbourne’s weight-for-age first Group 1 of the season.

Ridden by Nash Rawiller, the slightly easy $6 third favourite crossed to the front from barrier seven of 12, and travelled powerfully throughout. On straightening he powered away from the field under hands-and-heels riding to put the race to bed by the 200-metre mark, and he eventually scored by three lengths.

The seemingly ageless Mr Brightside (Bullbars) resumed as a nine-year-old at $21 and sat second all the way, while $3.30 favourite Cosmic Crusader (Maurice) made ground from the rear to finish 0.4 lengths away in third while chasing a winning hat-trick.

Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express) was a close-up fourth in a decent return as a five-year-old mare, at $10, whereas $3.80 second elect Jimmysstar (Per Incanto) looked disappointing first-up in ninth.

With Beiwacht’s stallion credentials well and truly sealed for his breeders Darley, Waller indicated a campaign abroad could be in his future.

There may be doubt, however, that such plans would include Royal Ascot, with the trainer conceding Beiwacht might not be at his best over a straight course. While he ran a fair fourth up the Flemington straight in last spring’s Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), he was last of eight on the same straight track in the autumn’s Lightning Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m).

“We said last year we were keen to take him internationally, but he’s not a real straight horse,” Waller said. “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.

“He’s done a great job. He beat the older horses in the All-Aged and it was a great ride by Nash today and to see him come back, it was a terrific win.”

He added: “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.”

Beiwacht was scratched from last Saturday’s Winx Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) at Randwick after a temperature spike, but Waller said he’d quickly recovered – as evidenced by the strength of his Memsie win.

“We didn’t panic. It came up enough to say he didn’t need to leave the stable [on Saturday] and remarkably his blood on Monday was perfect,” said Waller, celebrating his 204th Group 1 success.

“We galloped him at Rosehill on Tuesday. He was fine on Wednesday and everything has been good since. So whatever it was, it didn’t last long.”

The master trainer added Beiwacht had “really fitted well into our system” since arriving in mid 2025 as Godolphin switched to a public training model.

“Saddling him up before the race, he was a delight to work with. He was really focused. It sounds like I’m talking about a person, but he was really in the zone and just concentrating on his racing,” said Waller, who’s won the first two elite events of the season, with Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) taking the Winx.

Rawiller has stuck to Beiwacht like glue since first partnering him in a Canterbury barrier trial win on April 10, scoring on him in the All Aged eight days later, then riding him in the two trials which opened this campaign.

“What a thrill,” he said after his 73rd Group 1 success.

“I just prayed all week that he’d come out and do something like that, but it’s like a dream come true when he has.

“He’s always been a lovely colt but he just went to a new level today. There’s no doubt about that.

“He’s always had a good attitude. He’s always just had that raw, high cruising speed. He’s just matured and God that was a special feeling the whole way up the straight. He just had them cold. It was exciting.”

Beiwacht is the seventh foal of Metastasio (Street Cry), who’s thrown another stakes winner in Gravina (Sebring), winner of the MRC Village Stakes (Listed, 1200m).

Metastasio now has a two-year-old filly by Microphone (Exceed And Excel), and after missing to Benbatl (Dubawi) in 2024, was covered again by Bivouac (Exceed And Excel) last October.

Bivouac, who won two 1200-metre Group 1s up the Flemington straight, has eight stakes winners worldwide from 138 runners at 5.8 per cent. The ten-year-old stands at Darley Kelvinside this year for $33,000 (inc. GST), down from $55,000.

Jockey Craig Williams said Mr Brightside – who won the Memsie in 2023 and has now finished second in its past three editions – appeared set for a highly competitive spring despite his age.

“He’s an amazing horse,” he said. “He’s now run second in this race again, and what I really liked about his performance today, I thought the last part of the straight was better than the first part of the straight, so I think he’s only going to improve off today’s run.”