There’s an old adage in racing – when a mare strikes form, stick with her.
A perfect example of that is the Henry Dwyer-trained Beirut.
The five-year-old has now won her last four races, stepping up to a new level each time.
Beirut was terrific at Caulfield on Saturday, rolling straight to the front and running her rivals off her feet.
It’s been a stunning turnaround given the moderate start to her career, one her trainer wasn’t expecting.
“She’s doing a great job, she hasn’t missed a beat,” Dwyer said.
“Her first two runs for me were disgraceful actually and then we rode her differently.
“(Now) she just leads, pricks her ears and wins, so she’s going terrific.”
The result means she’s earned a shot at the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes in a fortnight – an opportunity to finish her career on a high before going to the breeding barn.
“We had no expectations to start with, she was all-bar retired,” Dwyer said.
“We brought her back into work, we knew she was going to stud this year so we just thought we’ll keep pushing ahead and hopefully win one in town with her, a midweek race, and she did that and we were rapt.
“We thought that was her ceiling, but obviously (she’s just won) a Saturday race.
“I think she’s got one more run, her swansong.
“I know it’s probably raising the bar too high but we’ll have a crack at the Bletchingly and, best-case scenario she might run third or fourth – it’d be huge.”
WATCH: Beirut win at Caulfield
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