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Brierly success for Blandford Lodge
Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk • April 30th, 2025 2:10 pm
Photo: Bruno Cannatelli
Graham and Helen-Gaye Bax didn’t set out to breed a Brierly Steeplechase (3450m) winner, but that’s what they have done, with Blandford Lodge homebred Duke Of Bedford taking out the Warrnambool feature on Tuesday.
“I had two in that race. I also bred Blandford Lad, who ran fifth,” Blandford Lodge principal Graham Bax said.
“He (Duke Of Bedford) is a neat little jumper and he is going along well. He is a young steeplechase horse, so he has got a bright future in front of him.
“If he runs tomorrow (in the Grand Annual Steeplechase, 5500m) he should be a big show.”
While pleased to see his homebred victorious on Tuesday, Bax is still perplexed how a steeplechaser has been produced from the family.
“The mare (dam) is by Fastnet Rock, so how we got a steeplechaser out of that I don’t know, but you never know when breeding horses where it’s all going to end up,” he said.
By Tavistock, Duke Of Bedford is out of winning Fastnet Rock mare Miralago, a half-sister to the dam of Group One winner Danzdanzdance.
Bax has been breeding from the family for several decades and he has enjoyed plenty of success during that time.
“I have had that family for years and it goes way back to an English mare called Polly Soleil that I bought more than 30 years ago,” he said.
“I have bred a lot of good mares out of that family, including (multiple Group One winner) Lucia Valentina, (Group Two winner) Silky Red Boxer, Danzdanzdance, (stakes winner) Le Gai Soleil, there’s a lot of good horses from that family.
“It is a super family that has been performing for Blandford Lodge for a long time. It will keep going as well, we have another horse out of the family running today (Wednesday) at Canterbury called Ahuriri, who has won the St Leger (Listed, 2800m). The family just keeps giving.”
Bax offered Duke Of Bedford at Inglis’ 2020 Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale where he was purchased by STC Syndications for A$45,000.
He went on to win one race for Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young before he transferred to Andrew Bobbin’s Stawell barn, for whom he has added another six victories to his tally, culminating in his Brierly Steeplechase triumph.
“I love setting goals with races and working backwards and hitting the target, and this was one today,” Bobbin said post-race.
Bobbin said he will wait until Thursday morning before deciding whether his six-year-old gelding backs up in the Grand Annual Steeplechase.
“We’ll just see how that field holds up and at about 7:28am Thursday morning, I’ll probably still be scratching my head, I might even toss a coin,” he said.
