Major Beel reigns supreme in Derby upset

[Wandering Eyes]

Major Beel (NZ) (Savabeel) outstayed his opposition in the A$2 million Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick on Saturday, completing an astonishing Group One clean sweep by New Zealand-breds on the opening day of The Championships.

Major Beel’s upset win followed on from Militarize (NZ) (Dundeel) in the Inglis Sires’ (1400m), I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel) in the Furphy TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) and Mr Brightside’s (NZ) (Bullbars) successful The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) title defence.

New Zealand-breds have a proud record in the Australian Derby, having won it 10 times in the last 20 years, and they were a powerful presence again in 2023 with more than half of the 18-horse field.

However, most attention was centred around the first four placegetters in last month’s Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) – Sharp ‘N’ Smart (NZ) (Redwood), Andalus (NZ) (Almanzor), Full Of Sincerity (NZ) (Puccini) and Mark Twain (NZ) (Shocking) – and few took much notice of Major Beel, who started as a $54 outsider.

But Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott had given the Savabeel gelding a meticulous build-up to Sydney’s prestigious autumn classic. After back-to-back wins over 1300m and 1600m in February, he stepped up to 1900m with a fourth placing at Rosehill on March 11, then finished a close second in the Gr.2 Tulloch Stakes (2000m) a week out from his Randwick grand final.

It was all designed around having Major Beel at fever pitch for the Derby, and he held up his end of the bargain.

Rider Tim Clark slid forward to sit outside the front-running Domingo (NZ) (Contributer), then threw down the gauntlet and surged to a clear lead at the home turn.

Major Beel opened up a three-length advantage with 300m remaining, and despite determined bids from the strong-finishing Virtuous Circle (NZ) (Almanzor), Suizuro (Real Impact) and Sharp ‘N’ Smart, he could not be caught.

Major Beel landed a boilover victory by three-quarters of a length – a first Australian Derby success for his Hall of Fame co-trainer.

“It’s a massive thrill to win a race like this and give Gai her first,” Clark said. “I’ve been able to win a couple of races to give Gai her first, but there’s not a lot she hasn’t won. It’s nice to tick this box. I’ve got a really good friend involved in the ownership as well, so it’s a great thrill.

“Obviously I wouldn’t be here without the support I get from Gai and Adrian. It’s a bit of payback for them.

“He travelled a bit strong throughout, because he’s come out of two really fast-run races. Obviously, going up in trip to a really steady mile and a half, he just over-travelled a bit throughout, but that was helping him get through the ground.

“I felt them coming but was just mindful of trying to hold on to him and help him as long as I could. He showed a great turn of foot at the top of the straight. The second horse was coming to me late, but he really dug in and fought hard, like last week. Thankfully he was able to get his head in front today.”

Major Beel has now had 11 starts for four wins, five placings and more than A$1.4 million in stakes.

The Derby hero became the 30^th individual Group One winner for Savabeel, and he completed a remarkable double for the day for the Waikato Stud supremo. Less than two hours earlier, I Wish I Win (NZ) had scored an explosive come-from-behind win in the Furphy TJ Smith Stakes over 1200m.

Unusually, Major Beel comes from a female family renowned for their feats earlier in their careers and over shorter distances.

He is the first foal of the unraced O’Reilly mare Gram (NZ) – a daughter of the Gr.2 Karakatta Plate (1200m) winner Gold Rocks (Oratorio), whose daughters Gold Fever (NZ) (Savabeel) and Gold Rush (NZ) (So You Think) both won the Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) for two-year-old fillies. Calaverite (Lonhro) was successful at Listed level as a juvenile in the Gimcrack Stakes (1000m) and St Albans Stakes (1200m), and she is the dam of Caulfield Guineas (1600m) winner Golden Mile (Astern).

Major Beel was purchased out of Waikato Stud’s draft at the Gold Coast Yearling Sale for A$260,000 by Waterhouse, Bott and Kestrel Thoroughbreds, with the Matamata farm remaining in the ownership.

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