The Inside Story Of A Beadman Dynasty
Sun Herald
Sunday July 22, 2007
PERHAPS the age of chivalry hasn't passed going on the Myer Handicap on the Might And Power gala day at Rosehill Gardens yesterday.
No, it didn't necessarily include Mitchell Beadman and daddy, Darren.Young Mitch, handling Mystery Queen for Chris Waller, came up on the inside of the champ, who was hard at work on hot favourite Canyonville, to notch his first city winner, raising the question of whether Beadman snr was being generous to his son?"You backed off him," joked Queensland jockey Scott Seamer when Darren returned to the weigh-in area.Did the champ know Mitch was creeping through where, under some circumstances, angels, let alone apprentices, should fear to tread?"No," Beadman replied. He didn't know Mitchell was there.Eagle-eyed replay watchers reckons he cracked it for the smile, not apparent to aged eyes, of a proud father on the winning post."He used you, followed you all the way," Chris Barrett, a former rider who works in the jockeys' room, told Beadman snr. Acceptable and wise tactics. Possibly it's the mounts but Mitch has gained strength and confidence, even over the past couple of weeks riding in town.But stewards had no problem with the rails run taken by Mystery Queen as the fence these days is generally shunned by reef-wary navigators. Still, apprentice Peter Wells earlier showed it was smooth sailing in close on Fantastic Angel in the Upstream Handicap after a pattern was developing towards the outside.While the euphoria of the Beadman quinella was booming after the Myer, stipes questioned Wells about why he didn't allow his mount, No Name For A Lady, in the same event, to stride and hold out Half Eight.Wells maintained he was riding to instructions, confirmed by a stable representative. But stipes reported "that particularly with the slow early pace it was doubtful that any advantage could have been gained by surrendering a position and racing one horse further back at that point". The apprentice was told he would have been better suited to use his initiative and maintain his position behind Cloudygaze. Nothing spectacular about an apprentice overreacting to instructions, but Half Eight was ridden by his girlfriend, Kathy O'Hara. No damage was done; just a case of ladies before gentlemen.While the Beadmans were in the spotlight, Victorian apprentice Blake Shinn was again seen giving little quarter. Stewards "spoke" to him after what they described as his use of "undue pressure" to Foundtrish, ridden by Seamer, in order to regain his position one off the fence in the Print Less Handicap. Later, Seamer, recently making hay in Sydney, slack with senior riding talent, came to the fore with a bold exhibition on Lodge The Deeds in the Ellerton Capital Handicap, taking his tally south of the Queensland border on the promising stayer to three successive wins.Sure, the Beadmans took some of the spark out of Waller's four winners, but the always generous trainer again made sure he gave credit to everyone for his achievement, including Might And Power, which had been boarding at his stables to make a guest appearance at Rosehill yesterday.He still has the prance and presence of a top-liner."Some of Might And Power must have rubbed off onto my horses," Waller said."Might And Power was a heavyweight champion and knows it. Even now he takes some handling. Jack Denham obviously did a great job with him when he was at his peak."Incidentally, the Might And Powers colours of owner Nick Moraitis were carried by Canyonville, which also became a part of racing history with the Beadman quinella. But he's no heavyweight.
© 2007 Sun Herald