Racing: Dry track helps Richard Beymer hit form

The $10.30 win dividend on Richard Beymer tells you punters weren't sure at Te Rapa on Saturday.

Those who were had to endure torture or close to it as the under-rated sprinter repelled and repelled challenges in the home straight to win the $45,000 Timpson Family Trust 1200.

Two eighth placings lately - one a last placing - hadn't done much to install punter confidence, but trainer Jakki Good could not have been more excited about his chances.

"It's been the wet tracks," she said after the race.

"Two starts ago Katie [Hercock] sat up on him when he just couldn't get through the wet ground at Ellerslie, then last start he copped a clod in the eye early then a whack over the head from another jockey's whip.

"That was enough."

Despite the 57kg topweight this time, Richard Beymer kept going strongly when it looked as though Veloz was about to chase him down.

It was equal to the gamest run of the day, particularly as he was giving 2.5kg and 5kg to the placegetters.

"He doesn't like getting beaten - he's a prickly bugger like that," said Good.

Richard Beymer will next race in the $60,000 Counties Bowl at Pukekohe on November 21 then head to the Railway Stakes at Ellerslie on New Year's Day.

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If the Trentham track a couple of weeks ago had been in decent shape trainer Frank Ritchie had intended giving Everlasting his debut run in the Wellesley Stakes, which made Everlasting's debut win at Te Rapa on Saturday less of a surprise.

The handsome youngster won by only a short neck, but did so in the manner of a horse really going places.

Surprisingly for a horse who had shown speed in his barrier trials, Everlasting settled towards the back of the 10-horse field and looked no chance when still back near the end of the 1000m dash.

That he could sprint past the opposition said an awful lot about the future of this Hong Kong-owned colt.

"He's always shown us a lot, particularly in the ability to accelerate," said Ritchie.

Like any juvenile who is entered, Everlasting's main goal is the Karaka Million at Ellerslie early next year.

"I'll run him at Pukekohe in two weeks [$60,000 Murdoch Newell Stakes] then give him 10 days off and start him towards the Karaka Million."

Ritchie does not rate the son of General Nediym and former good mare Tristachine simply a sprinter.

"He's shown that even when he gets up alongside horses he'll relax, so I expect he'll eventually be a metric miler."

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Good to see that trainers Wayne and Vanessa Hillis are aiming Sterling Prince at next year's Melbourne Cup.

Everyone thought Sterling Prince a 1600m to 2000m horse at best, but he's shown with his outstanding form in Melbourne in recent weeks that the further he goes the better he gets.

And guts - hardly one horse showed more ticker at the spring carnival than Sterling Prince in the Geelong Cup, Lexus Stakes and his win in Saturday's Queen Elizabeth.

With a will to win like that who knows in next year's A$10 million Melbourne Cup?

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How good is the young heart of So You Think?

The heart had the opposition beaten at the 150m in the A$1 million Emirates Stakes, then the young part kicked in.

No 3-year-old you can remember would have been able to beat a group one field like that over 1600m at Flemington with just a few starts behind them.

Particularly after leading.

He would have got away with it on any track other than Flemington, where there is nowhere to hide when you're in front and you hear the chasing hooves.

If that hasn't done him any harm he'll be a freak in the autumn against his own age.