3 minute read
Trainer Shane Baertschiger sees no reason why Be Bee can’t win again given the fairly similar depth in the company he tackles in the $100,000 Class 1 race over 1200m on Sunday.
At his last start, the Showcasing four-year-old came up trumps in a similar Class 1 event over six furlongs, beating more or less the same calibre of horses. Incidentally, four of them – Nepean, Super Winner, Faaltless, Super Fortune – will be in his way again.
Be Bee will, however, meet other tougher rivals like Nowyousee and Zac Kasa, even if he has beaten both before, but early doors.
Those two, especially Zac Kasa, have gone to another level since, but so has Be Bee. Getting another luxury load of 50kgs will arguably be the biggest shot in the arm for the Auric Stable-owned galloper.
“He’s meeting the same horses and you can’t fault his form. He again has 50kgs (1.5kgs over) and Benny Thompson will ride him again,” said the Australian trainer.
“Unfortunately, Johnny (Powell) can’t ride him again unless he cuts his two arms. He will ride Faaltless instead.”
The heavyweight Australian jockey was Be Bee’s winning partner at half of his six wins, including the two at Group level, the Group 2 Aushorse Golden Horseshoe over 1200m in 2017 and the Group 3 Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint over 1200m last year.
“Zac Kasa will be the horse to beat, but my horse has done nothing wrong and is in good form four weeks after his last start,” said Baertschiger who also saddles Faaltless and Nepean (Matthew Kellady) in the same race.
“I made a mistake before his first-up win. I crunched him too much; you’ve got to space his runs and keep him fresh.”
While the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge has been canned from this year, Be Bee can still be aimed at the 1400m Leg of the former series.
“We may look at the 1400m race for him, the Stewards’ Cup,” said Baertschiger.
After the middle pin, the Group 1 Charity Cup (1600m), was axed, the Group 2 Stewards’ Cup still remains on the calendar on June 30 while the other remaining four-year-old feature race, the Group 1 Singapore Derby (1800m) will be staged on July 21.
Baertschiger will of course not chart a path towards the Stewards’ Cup without a couple of lead-ups in between.
“After Sunday’s run, there is a Class 1 race over 1400m for him in three weeks’ time (March 10),” he said.
“That’s where he will race next if things go his way.”