STAR Tasmanian pacer Beautide has been installed as favorite to win his second Grand Circuit event in tomorrow nights $400,000 Group 1 SEW-Eurodrive Victoria Cup at Tabcorp Park Melton (Vic).
Despite a wide second line draw over the relatively short 2240 metres journey, punters are sticking with the “New Kid” on the Grand Circuit block.
He comes off a brilliant win in the Group 1 $750,000 Miracle Mile at Tabcorp Park Menangle (NSW) last Saturday week.
Beautide left Tasmania in June this year with a record of 26 wins and 10 placings from 43 starts.
He has continued to improve with nine wins and four placings from 14 New South Wales starts.
Beautide has won his last seven starts and the quality of the wins indicates that Beautide is a worthy participant at the elite level.
His last two triumphs have been the $75,000 Newcastle Mile and the $750,000 Miracle Mile.
A major talking point around Beautide and the SEW-Eurodrive Victoria Cup is the race distance of 2240 metres off the back of 14 consecutive mile races in NSW.
His Tasmanian form prior to his relocation to Cobbitty, not far from the Menangle racetrack, indicates Beautide can handle any distance.
First up as a five-year-old in November 2012 he set a track record of 1.57.7 for 2090 metres around the Hobart circuit and followed up with three wins over 2579 metres at Hobart and one over 2698 metres at Launceston.
Part owner and the gelding’s former trainer Barrie Rattray agrees.
“We have no issue with the distance and before he (Beautide) went to Sydney we formed the view that he was better over the longer trips,” Rattray said.
“I have seen many top horses mix distances successfully.”.
“While it is an honor to be installed as favorite in the Victoria Cup we are under no misconceptions about the task we face tomorrow night.”
“There are some great horses in the field, we start from the second row and it is difficult to predict how the race will pan out,” Rattray said.
Beautide’s earnings this season have catapulted him to the top of the 2013/14 national money list with his $565,625 being just over $400,000 ahead of Ideal Scott ($165,000) and Nowitzki ($151,650).
Beautide is now a clear third on the all time money list of horses with a strong Tasmanian connection. Flashing Red ($2,000,052) is a clear leader over Thorate ($1,329,345), Beautide ($784,618), SinbadBay ($674,963) and Villagem ($576,698).
Beautide looks a certainty to progress pass Thorate in the list of earnings in a single season for pacers with a strong Tasmanian connection. Flashing Red heads the table. The top five at present are:
| Horse | Year | Stake Money | Best Win |
| Flashing Red | 06/07 | $826,360 | New Zealand Cup |
| Thorate | 89/90 | $597,760 | Inter Dominion |
| Beautide | 13/14 | $565,625 | Miracle Mile |
| Flashing Red | 07/08 | $432,350 | New Zealand Cup |
| SinbadBay | 88/89 | $315,915 | Victoria Cup |
The Victoria Cup is the fourth leg of the eight races in the Australasian Pacers Grand Circuit.
It commenced in Queensland in October when Ideal Scott won the $200,000 Queensland Pacing Championship.
The $650,000 New Zealand Cup followed in November in which Terror To Love emerged victorious.
The Miracle Mile was the third leg.
The $400,000 WA Pacing Cup will be run next month with the $400,000 AG Hunter Cup (Vic) scheduled for 1 February 2014.
The last two Grand Circuit events are the $750,000 Inter Dominion at Menangle (2 March 2014) and the $250,000 Auckland Cup in NZ on 7 March 2014.
It is likely that Beautide will have a short break after Saturday night’s assignment before targeting the Inter Dominion series.