By Alan Carasso
Former champion jockey Darren Beadman saddled his first black-type winner since being appointed interim trainer for Godolphin when Duca Valentinois (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) came with a final-furlong flourish to take Friday's A$200,000 Listed Scone Cup at the northeastern New South Wales track.
A $10 (9-1) chance in the feature of the program, Duca Valentinois drifted back to centerfield from his low draw and was able to save ground from there beneath jockey Michael Dee. He rode the rails into the stretch, squeezed away from the inside to deliver his challenge approaching the final 200m and quickened home nicely to score by 1 1/2 lengths (video).
“It's all a bit of a blur at the moment for me,” Beadman told Sky Thoroughbred Central. “The key to him is to switch him off. If you get the first half mile right, the rest will work out. I thought he had a realistic chance.”
Purchased by Johnny Murtagh for €21,000 out of the 2013 Tattersalls Ireland yearling sale, Duca Valentinois won two of his nine European starts while trained by Murtagh for the Oaktree Racing Club. John Ferguson went to £190,000 to acquire the bay at the 2015 Goffs London Sale and the gelding was sent to Australia to continue his career under the guidance of Godolphin trainer John O'Shea. Duca Valentinois won twice in handicaps at Warwick Farm and at Canterbury last spring and was exiting a 10th in the G3 Hawkesbury Cup (1600m) Apr. 29.
O'Shea resigned his position as Godolphin's main Australian trainer in 2014 and oversaw the careers of such horses as Contributer (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}), Hartnell (GB) (Authorized {Ire}) and Grade 1 winner Astern (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro). O'Shea stepped down from his position at the end of last month and Beadman, O'Shea's assistant, was installed as interim trainer. He celebrated his first winner at Canterbury just this past Wednesday.
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