BEDAUB GIVES MICHAEL NOLAN A BIG HOMETOWN WIN

By Graham Potter | Saturday, September 24, 2022

To kick off with a winner in the first two-year-old race of the season in Queensland is obviously always a huge plus for any stable, and when that result is achieved at your home track on its biggest race-day of the year, it just adds another element to the level of satisfaction and celebration.

That was the result outcome produced by the Michael Nolan trained filly Bedaub when she triumphed in the QTIS Pat O’Shea Plate which was contested over 1000m at Toowoomba on September 24.

Not that the daughter of Easy Rocking was always earmarked for the race.

“When we first had her in work … she was a little bit small and we weren’t thinking of an early two-year-old race or anything like that,” explained Michael Nolan.

“We thought we would just educate her with a few other young ones and turn her out.

“That was the plan … but then, as she progressed in the prep, she handled the work … she was a beautiful moving horse … and she just took everything in her stride.

“Before she was due to go out, we let her come down the running and one of the work riders commented how good she went, so we only gave her a short break and brought her back in … now with the Pat O’Shea race in mind.

“So, that was never the plan until probably some six to eight weeks out from the race itself.

“She had one 650m jump-out in which she went nicely,” continued Nolan. “It all became a bit of a rush then, because that was her first time out of the barriers. We had to turn around and give her another one a week later … which wasn’t ideal … but we gave her one over 870m, which she won, and she pulled up fine after that.

“The next week was the race-day … so, admittedly we rushed her a bit … but she got the job done for us.

“She was ready. She was never sore. She never left her feed. She was bulletproof to train, really.

“She just lacked that bit of size, but we knew that all along. When we got there on race-day she was probably one of the smallest ones in the parade … but we pulled it off.

“She did take the race well … but we were always going to spell her after the run anyway and that is what we have done.

“She is not a Magic Millions horse, but she is QTIS.
“She’s out for that break now and she can just mature a bit … then we can ride her differently and don’t have to hunt.

“I just think we have got a really nice filly and when she comes back in maybe we can head for The Jewel or something like that.”
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In the Pat O’Shea Plate, jockey Stephanie Lacy had no hesitation in chasing Bedaub ($4.60) out quickly from a wide barrier to sit outside the early leader Top Fun ($4.60), with both of these runners setting a strong enough gallop to carry them three lengths clear of the pack down in the early part.

Again, Lacy did not hesitate when Top Fun began to show signs of weakening approaching the home turn, as she pushed Bedaub passed Top Fun and into a clearcut lead on straightening.

And there would be no letting up all of the way to the line from the Nolan trained runner.

With 150m left to run Bedaub had two lengths of daylight between herself and her nearest rival and, although Adelad ($5) and Mishani Raider ($13) were cutting back the deficit with every stride over the concluding stages … Bedaub always had the race won down the straight and her victory not only underlined her obvious talent, but also showcased her commitment to being able to be able to produce such stout effort from start to finish.

There was a lot to like about the run.
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“I’d given her two trials leading into the race,” said jockey Stephanie Lacy, giving the story from her point of view.

“The first one was over 650m on the course proper and I came back and said to Michael (Nolan) … I said she is a very smart little filly.

“She was a little bit slow away, but she really mustered good speed and she travelled really nicely to the line. I was impressed.

“Then I gave her the second one over the 870m. Afterwards I said to Michael she had improved and that she would win the Pat O’Shea.

“She was just so professional. She was so quick out of the machines … straight into the bridle … travelled … I gave her a squeeze and she let down. I knew then that she was good.

“When I won on Hail To The Chief (another Michael Nolan trained horse) at Toowoomba, I dismounted and took the saddle off and he turned to me and said I could ride the two-year-old seeing that I was riding so well for him at the moment.

“That represented a pretty big opportunity for me … and I was determined to make the most of it.

“When I saw the barrier draw (nine out of eleven) I was a bit concerned,” continued Lacy, “but, knowing how fast she was out of the machines and straight onto the bunny, I still thought I could win.

‘I would have liked the Sears trained horse (Top Gun) to take me to the top of the straight a bit more instead of dropping off at the 600m, but my horse still did her job … and did it well.”
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Bedaub’s breeding (Easy Rocking – Tints) is well worth a second glance … with Tints being the dam of Hinged, amongst others, who went on to win the Group 1 Surround Stakes after cutting her teeth in in the Nolan stable at Toowoomba.

Hinged has also been Group 1 placed on multiple occasions.

Michael Nolan trained Hinged throughout two-year-old career in which she recorded five wins and two runner-up finishes from seven starts … an outstanding form-line which had the big buyers knocking at the door with Hinged ultimately being sold to southern interests and moved to the Chris Waller stable.

Hinged is now a four-year-old and, sitting in-between her and the two-year-old Bedaub in the Tints breeding line is the three-year-old Hue who, being by Worthy Cause, is a full sister to Hinged.

Hue won on debut for the Nolan stable back on April 16 at the Gold Coast. She had one other (unplaced) run as a two-year-old before being spelled … and returned for her first start as a three-year-old on October 1.

“Hue was unlucky here the other night at Toowoomba. She sat wide,” said Nolan.

“We had a lot of fun with Hinged before she changed stables,” said Nolan. “That’s just going to happen more often now … the big buyers moving in on promising horses because it seems they have just got so much money to spend … but we have got these two fillies out of Tints (Bedaub and Hue) still here with us, so we are pretty happy about that.”

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