The horse at the centre of trainer John O’Shea’s four month disqualification has posted his biggest win with a tenacious effort in the Listed Ortensia Stakes at Scone.
Bev’s Nine was a late scratching from a race at Rosehill in February when Racing NSW veterinarians ruled him to be lame, O’Shea’s vehement disagreement with the decision eventually costing him the temporary disqualification of his trainers’ licence.
Currently under the sole care of O’Shea’s training partner Tom Charlton, Bev’s Nine was in the headlines for all the right reasons on Saturday, taking out the Ortensia Stakes (1100m) to notch his first black-type victory.
Jockey Zac Lloyd said Bev’s Nine ($8.50) was able to put himself in a strong position from the start and showed his customary fight to hold the fast-finishing Brudenell ($71) at bay, with Golden Straand ($2.90 fav) third.
“I’ve had a lot to do with him at home and whatever he does, trackwork, trials, he always puts in his best,” Lloyd told Sky Racing.
“Everyone could see there was plenty of speed in that race, so I wanted to execute the jump, and he was rapid out of the machines. He took over the race quite quickly and was able to control it.
“He is just very tough. He’s all heart. That horse came to him, but he kept fighting.”
Runner-up to Zealously in the Hawkesbury Gold Rush (1100m) last start, Bev’s Nine has now won six of his eight starts, his only unplaced performance coming at Rosehill last month.
Jordan O’Shea, representing the Charlton stable, said the team felt they erred by riding the horse too conservatively at his most recent appearance and were intent on putting him in the race at Scone.
“We thought there was going to be lots of pace in that last race, that’s why we elected to ride him a bit quietly,” Jordan O’Shea said.
“We didn’t want to make that same mistake today. We told Zac to ping him out and assess from there and he’s done a great job.”
