Dannevirke couple enjoy Flemington Cup Carnival experience

Atishu winning The Champion Stakes Cup on November 11 at Flemington.

While anyone interested in horse racing was focusing on the Melbourne Cup, it was the Flemington Cup Carnival that interested Dean Shuker and his partner Pam Beamsley.

The Dannevirke residents have a 5 per cent share in a syndicate racing a six-year old mare called Atishu which was competing in two of the associated Group One races of that week.

Dean Shuker and partner Pam Beamsley with the Champion Stakes Cup at Flemington.

The couple went over to participate in the whole carnival and were soon rewarded when Atishu placed second in the 1600-metre Empire Rose Stakes. They said the race was very exciting, but Atishu was just unable to catch the winner Pride Of Jenni.

After the Melbourne Cup, focus then swung to the last race of the Carnival, the Group One Champions Stakes raced over 2000 metres and worth A$3 million. She was competing against a field stacked with talent, had only raced that distance three times before but had won them all.

Atishu, renowned for racing towards the back of the field in the early stages of the race, with top jockey James McDonald on board, gradually worked her way through the field and with 200 metres to go and sharing the lead she surged forward to take the win.

“Nerve-wracking but thrilling” is how the couple described the experience of being part of the winning syndicate with a crowd of 58,000. “Pretty surreal” in Pam’s words.

The journey started in 2019 when Dean bought a 5 per cent stake in Atishu through syndicators Go Racing from the Karaka sales. Bred from top sire Savabeel she was initially trained by Stephen Marsh, of Cambridge, and began racing at age three, scoring her first win at Pukekohe in March 2021 followed by three wins at Riccarton during which she was awarded the Southern Filly of the Year.

The syndicate then decided Atishu’s future was in Australia and she went to top trainer Chris Waller in Sydney where she had huge success winning her first Group One race in April’s Queen of the Turf 1600 metre race at Randwick this year.

Her racing career to date is 37 starts, nine wins, six seconds and six thirds, with prize money totalling $3.7 million.

Dean and Pam are delighted with the experience. Atishu will command huge money when put out to stud which may be this season or next.

Meanwhile, they have syndicate interests in a couple of two-year-old fillies with similar breeding and the same trainers to keep them involved in racing.

Why did Atishu not race in the Melbourne Cup? That race is 3200 metres – not suited to a horse used to racing almost half its length.

Dave Murdoch is a part-time photo-journalist working for the Bush Telegraph and based at Dannevirke. He has covered any community story telling good news about the district for the past 10 years.