Foxton racehorse Beadman at the track this week with part-owner John Bradley and trainer Andre Wallace.
Foxton racehorse Beadman at the track this week with part-owner John Bradley and trainer Andre Wallace.
A racehorse that nobody wanted and his trainer couldn't catch is developing a cult following.
Beadman, a pint-sized gelding from Foxton, won a $12,000 2100m maiden race at Ōtaki last week. It was hardly the Melbourne Cup, but there is a story that goes with it.
It marked the firstsuccess for promising young trainer Andre Wallace, a 36-year-old amateur jockey who said he "accidentally" bought the horse in an online auction four years ago.
"I was having a bit of a play around to be honest because I thought he was a nice horse and would be a good buy," he said.
Foxton horse trainer Andre Wallace and Beadman during a training gallop at the track this week.
"I put in a bid of $800 three days before the auction was to close and was quite sure it would be bettered. But it turned out to be the winning bid."
As a young horse Beadman had been tried by major stables without success, which was why he was sent to auction.
When he arrived Wallace assessed the horse and decided he needed time to mature, so turned him out on a steep hill country north of Ōtaki to strengthen, on property owned by his late grandmother.
But the weeks went by, then months ... until one day he wandered up to Wallace as if to say he was ready to be a racehorse.
"To be honest with you I couldn't catch him at first. But I wasn't that concerned. He needed time to mature. Then one day he randomly walked up to me. He was a different horse," he said.
"He went from a horse you couldn't get near to a horse that was very willing. And he had strengthened up so much.
"But everyone laughed when I first took him to the track because he was a little woolly beast."
It was Beadman's quirks that had made him a bit of a hard case. He was so quiet-natured he often followed Wallace around on the way to the track without a lead, before turning around and putting himself in the stalls.
Beadman follows trainer Andre Wallace to the Foxton track each morning.
Beadman started eating grass in the birdcage as he was unsaddled after the Ōtaki win - highly unusual behaviour for a horse immediately after winning a race.
"People come and pat him. He's just got that character. He's what you would call an old man's horse. You can do anything with him and nothing fazes him," he said.
Beadman was particularly well-bred, being by a champion racehorse in Alamosa and from a handy race mare Abeautifulred, a black-type performer good enough to run second in the 1000 Guineas at Riccarton as a 3-year-old.
Those bloodlines were enough to convince Foxton racehorse owner and pedigree analyst John Bradley, 83, to take a half-share, identifying Beadman as a horse that could have a future as a stayer, and Wallace as a promising young trainer.
John Bradley and Andre Wallace with their pride and joy - Beadman.
The win came in Beadman's 14th start and was well-deserved after several minor placings in the last two seasons including two seconds, two thirds and two fourths.
The victory meant a lot to Wallace as his father Malcolm and grandfather Colin had both had successful training careers based at the Ōtaki-Māori course.
He himself had grown up around the stables as a toddler and started riding trackwork for trainers there before going to school.
Wallace said he would like to continue the family tradition and train racehorses professionally in the future and getting the best out of horses like Beadman was a valuable learning curve.
"I've been in the game long enough to know that some horses are limited, but you try and get the best out of them and help them reach their potential," he said.
Beadman lines up in the $30,000 Chartered Clubs 2100m at Trentham tomorrow and Wallace rates him a good chance again, provided he had conditions to suit.
Foxton trainer Andre Wallace said his horse Beadman was a dream to work with.
"He always showed a bit of promise but he needs really firm tracks. As soon as it's shifty he looks after himself," he said.
