Beach Bomb Takes Them Gate To Wire in The Very One

[Wandering Eyes]

Sportingly sent to the U.S. after years-long export regulations for South African horses were eased and after having to endure an arduous period in quarantine post-arrival, Cayton Park Stud's Beach Bomb (SAf) (Lancaster Bomber) was given a beautifully rated steer from the front by Luis Saez and led past every pole in Saturday's GIII The Very One Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

A latest eighth, but not beaten far, in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, Beach Bomb was ridden positively by Saez and got into a good rhythm through opening sections of a controlled :24.17 and :50.48 as Whatloveslookslike (English Channel) settled closest to her in the run. Going comfortably and ears-pricked turning down the back, Beach Bomb covered the opening three-quarters of a mile in 1:16.05, with Saez keeping his powder dry, waiting for the right moment to up the tempo. With a shake of the reins from Saez entering the last of three turns, Beach Bomb began to sprint, had a bit of a break on her rivals entering the final furlong and proved a comfortable winner over Immensitude (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}) and La Mehana (Fr) (Al Wukair {Ire}), who ran well despite being tactically disadvantaged to varying degrees.

Beach Bomb is, according to available sources, the first South African-bred to win a U.S. graded event since Gypsy's Warning (SAf) (Mogok) took the GI Matriarch Stakes in 2010. The Apache (SAf) (Mogok) was first past the post in the 2013 GI Arlington Million, but was demoted to second behind Real Solution (Kitten's Joy).

“I kind of told [Luis] to go forward, so I'm not surprised,” said winning trainer Graham Motion. “Luis helped her away from there. It looked like nobody wanted to go.

“I think Grade I may be a stretch for her, but she didn't run badly in the Breeders' Cup. She didn't get beat that badly,” Motion continued. “We liked her. Everything had to go perfectly to get to the Breeders' Cup. We gave her a little break after that to let her catch up with herself and settle in. Things went well for this race.

“I haven't thought much about [what's next]. I don't know if a mile and a half is what she wants to do. I think a mile and a quarter is a pretty good trip for her.”

An upset winner of the GI Cape Fillies' Guineas at Kenilworth in Cape Town in December 2023, Beach Bomb earned her place in the Filly and Mare Turf with a victory in the GI Paddock Stakes in her next appearance. Runner-up against the boys in the GI Cape Derby in February 2024 in her final start for Candice Bass-Robinson, she arrived in New York in March following a trip from Johannesburg with a refueling stop in Barbados, but was confined to nearly no exercise while in quarantine for a period of two months-plus.

She managed a trio of starts in the second half of the season, finishing a promising second in the Aug. 31 Violet Stakes at Monmouth and a good third in the GII Rodeo Drive Stakes at Santa Anita Oct. 5. Sent away at 55-1 at Del Mar, she turned in a mostly even effort from a high draw to be eighth, but just 3 1/2 lengths behind champion Moira (Ghostzapper).

Pedigree Notes:

Beach Bomb is one of four top-level scorers for her sire, second in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in 2016 and runner-up in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile the following season before earning winning Group 1 laurels of his own in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup in his final career appearance in 2018. In the first two months of 2025, Lancaster Bomber has also supplied Eight On Eighteen (SAf), winner of the prestigious Grade 1 Met and Grade 1 Cape Derby and Rascova (SAf), victorious in the Grade 1 Majorca Stakes. Lancaster Bomber, the sire of six stakes and 84 individual winners, passed away from a suspected heart attack at Gaynor Rupert's Drakenstein Stud in 2021.

Beach Bomb is one of five winners for her dam, herself a two-time champion and five-time scorer at the highest level in South Africa. Beach Beauty is the dam of the 3-year-old maiden filly Beach Queen (SAf) (Gimmethegreenlight {Aus}), the 2-year-old filly Beach Verse (SAf) (Vercingetorix {SAf}) and is due to the Drakenstein stallion Jet Dark (SAf) (Trippi) for 2025.

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
THE VERY ONE S. PRESENTED BY MYRACEHORSE-GIII, $150,000, Gulfstream, 3-1, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 3/8mT, 2:14.03, fm.
1–BEACH BOMB (SAF), 120, m, 5, by Lancaster Bomber
                1st Dam: Beach Beauty (SAf) (Ch. Older Mare-SAf,
                   Ch. Older Mare-SAf, Broodmare Of The Year-SAf,
                   MG1SW-SAF, $576,854), by Dynasty (SAf)
                2nd Dam: Sun Coast (SAf), by Capture Him
                3rd Dam: Leisure (SAf), by Hobnob (Fr)
O-Cayton Park Stud; B-Drakenstein Stud (Nom: Mrs. G. A.
Rupert) (SAF); T-H Graham Motion; J-Luis Saez. $89,280.
Lifetime Record: MGISW-SAf, 12-5-3-1, $251,860. *1/2 to
Amanzimtoti (SAf) (Trippi), GSW-SAF; Wild Coast (SAf) (Trippi),
GSW-SAf; and Narina Trogon (SAf) (Silvano {Ger}), MSW &
GSP-SAf. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com
catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Immensitude (Fr), 120, m, 5, Lawman (Fr)–Ma Petite Poule
(Fr), by Elusive City. (€80,000 Ylg '21 ARQDOY). O-Wathnan
Racing; B-Isabelle Corbani (FR); T-William I. Mott. $28,800.
3–La Mehana (Fr), 123, m, 6, Al Wukair (Ire)–Oceanie (Fr), by
Dansili (GB). (€55,000 RNA Ylg '20 ARDEAY; €400,000 4yo '23
ARQDEN). O-LSU Stables; B-S.A. Haras du Mezeray (FR);
T-Christophe Clement. $14,400.
Margins: 1, HF, NK. Odds: 3.70, 6.10, 3.20.
Also Ran: Queen Regent (GB), Forever After All, Whatlovelookslike, Be My Sunshine, Youknownothing, Blush (Ire). Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

 

BEACH BOMB (SAF) ($9.40) makes her return a winning one in the $165,000 The Very One Stakes (G3) at @GulfstreamPark. @GrahamMotion trains the five-year-old mare. @luissaezpty was up!

Mindframe returns in the next: https://t.co/lz4ozgmtzA pic.twitter.com/cmsKFtNezC

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) March 1, 2025

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