Gavin Bedggood knows he has not taken the conventional path to Saturday’s $1 million Thoroughbred Breeders Victoria Showdown with Mistavain.
The unraced Sioux Nation colt has been scratched three times in the past fortnight, including last Saturday’s Listed Redoute’s Choice Stakes, and the Cranbourne trainer said the only thing that had changed was the path he took to the race that has long been on his radar.
“I’m a realist, I know it’s pretty much unheard of to be going out and winning a $1 million race at your first start, but there had been a plan to kick off in a maiden a fortnight ago,” Bedggood said.
“He’s run into wet track, which I don’t think he’s going to be at home on, he had a bad blood picture a couple of weeks ago, which is why we didn’t take him to Adelaide, and I did have him in at Bendigo (on Tuesday), where we were going to go around in a $27,000 race.
“But The Showdown had been on the radar for a while, it’s a $1 million race that’s not going to be there next week or next month, but a maiden will be.
“We’ve probably done it a little bit in reverse, but we’re happy to take our chance.”
Mistavain will present Bedggood and his loyal group of owners with a fairytale result if he is able to win the centrepiece in Racing Victoria’s VOBIS Gold Race Series.
A $35,000 buy at last year’s Inglis Gold Yearling Sale, he is the least-expensive of any horse in the 1200-metre event who went through a sale ring.
Bedggood had his eye on the seventh foal from the Keep The Faith mare No Vanity well before inspections and familiarity with an older member of the family only enhanced his interest.
No Vanity’s first foal was Clarice Cliffs, a Group 3-placed daughter of Canford Cliffs that Greg Eurell trained to win the 2020 VOBIS Gold Distaff – a race in which the Bedggood-trained Marcada finished fifth.
“I remember looking through the catalogue on the ipad and he caught my eye and was put on the list,” Bedggood said.
“Then we saw he’s a half-sister to Clarice Cliffs, who was Group-placed and I had a horse racing (her) at a similar time, so I followed her a bit and that sparked my attraction.”
Mistavain is No Vanity’s cheapest foal since Clarice Cliffs, who cost just $8000.
Second foal Solomon (Street Boss) sold for $78,000, third and fourth foals No Puzzle (Canford Cliffs) and Miss Ostentatious (Stryker) were not offered, while Vain Fox (Toronado) sold for $200,000 in 2020 and Magnadal (Magnus) $190,000 the following year.
Mistavain is one of two runners by Sioux Nation in The Showdown, the other being Redoute’s Choice Stakes runner-up Apache Song, while the Coolmore stallion is also the sire of two-time Perth winner Shaddow Fear.
The son of Scat Daddy served just one season in Australia, at a fee of $17,600, producing 39 live foals and Bedggood has liked what he has seen from his few runners to date.
“There’s not a lot of them around, unfortunately, and I’ve had a good hunt,” he said.
“I’ve been following them pretty closely over the last few months and every one I’ve found looks to possess good ability and he’s got great stats in Europe from his first crop of horses to the races.”
Mistavain has the services of Brian Higgins in The Showdown with the pair top jump from barrier two in the field of 13.
