Grahame Begg mares to clash in Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes

Grahame Begg finds himself in a difficult position as he prepares to run two of his mares in a Stakes race at Sandown, a situation he acknowledges is not ideal.

Both Miraval Rose and So Glamorous are set to compete in the Group 3 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes (1200m) on Saturday. The race was originally slated for Caulfield but was shifted to Sandown last week due to ongoing council approval processes following the fire that damaged the Norman Robinson Grandstand earlier this month.

Miraval Rose has been given a brief freshen-up since securing victory in the Listed Kensington Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on New Year’s Day. Meanwhile, So Glamorous is set to return to the track for the first time since finishing second to Rumbled Again on a heavy track in the Group 3 Summoned Stakes at Caulfield in November.

Begg confirmed that Craig Williams has been booked to ride Miraval Rose, while Damian Lane will take the reins aboard So Glamorous. Both jockeys rode the mares in their previous outings.

“They’ve both trained on well since their last starts,” Begg said.

“Miraval Rose is coming from a month gap from the Kensington Stakes to the Bellmaine.

“She’s such a big, gross mare and we had to give her a jump-out at Cranbourne on January 20 just to tick her over.”

Begg has been enjoying a strong season, maintaining a 28% winning strike rate with 33 victories from 118 starts in Victoria. He attributes part of his stable’s success to providing his horses with brief rest periods between runs.

“Miraval Rose had some time out of the stable at the water treadmill, which we’ve been using with great success based out of Hastings,” Begg said.

“They stay in the yard during the day and then are boxed at night so they’re not losing any fitness over the seven-day period.

“It’s just a small change-up, and we’ve been doing that with a lot of our horses for the past six months.”

So Glamorous has yet to find the winner’s circle since December 2023 but has managed to finish second twice in Stakes company at Caulfield.

“She’s coming along nicely but she might find the 1200 (metres) too short fresh,” Begg said.

“She’s had the one jump-out and ran well.”

Looking beyond Saturday’s race, Begg has mapped out distinct paths for both mares. Miraval Rose is expected to target the Group 3 Frances Tressady Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on February 15, while So Glamorous is likely to head to the Group 3 Mannerism Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield the following week.

“After Saturday we can split them. They’ve got their paths,” Begg said.