Chris Waller has commenced the racing season in a blaze of glory, capturing another Group 1 contest.
Australia’s leading trainer collected a record 22 wins at the top level in season 2025-26 and has won the first two Group 1 races for the new racing season.
After Autumn Glow took out the Winx Stakes (1400m) at Randwick last week, Beiwacht led his rivals a merry romp in collecting the Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Taken to the front by Nash Rawiller, Beiwacht ($6) scored a three-length win over Mr Brightside ($21), with the $3.30 bookies favourite Cosmic Crusader a short-neck away third.
Beiwacht was one of five ‘boys’ Waller had in Saturday’s contest and the trainer said to see the four-year-old resume off a break and win in the manner in which he did was particularly pleasing.
Beiwacht was scratched from the Winx Stakes last week with a raised temperature, but by Monday morning the four-year-old’s spring campaign was back on track.
“We didn’t panic,” Waller said.
“It came up enough to say he didn’t need to leave the stable and remarkably his blood on Monday was perfect.
“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.”
Beiwacht is now a three-time Group 1 winner over the 1400m journey and Waller said he would speak to the Godolphin group to determine plans.
Waller did intimate that international travel was not beyond Beiwacht.
“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 Stakes, and it dented our confidence a little bit.
“He’s a specialist 1400-metre type horse, so there are some international thoughts there.”
Waller said Beiwacht had fitted in well with his stable and for a four-year-old entire was well relaxed pre-race.
“Saddling him up before the race, he was a delight to work with,” Waller said.
“He was really focussed. It sounds like I’m talking about a person, but he was really in the zone and just concentrating on his racing.
“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.”
