Beaudiene Rocknroll leaves them standing at Cambridge. PHOTO: Chanelle Lawson.
Beaudiene Rocknroll the latest winner for Babe - and the Kennedys are in on the fun
By Barry Lichter • 3 June 2023
Nobody enjoyed Beaudiene Rocknroll’s all-the-way win at Cambridge more than his Otautau breeders Dave and Dawn Kennedy.
Had the powerful looking colt been by a more commercial stallion than A Rocknroll Dance, their names wouldn’t still be among the owners’ list.
It’s rare for the Kennedys to keep their colts, especially given the prices they have commanded at the yearling sales over the years, but after the stock of A Rocknroll Dance sold so poorly the previous year they decided to keep him.
“He was a lovely cut of a horse, real showy and strong, very much like his mother Beaudiene Babe, and looked like he’d make a racehorse,” Dave Kennedy said.
“So we thought we’d send him north to Ray Green to see what he could do with him.”
Dave and Dawn Kennedy in 2016 with Themightynadal, a brother to their champion (Im) Themightyquinn.The Kennedys were keen to reward Green and Lincoln Farms for being great customers of Beaudiene Breeding, having bought, raced and onsold three half brothers, Harness Jewels upsetter Beaudiene Boaz (25 wins, A$1.25 million), Beaudiene Beaufighta and Beaudiene Western.
“Ray obviously gets on well with the family and we’d had no luck with the first one I sent him.”
Green tried Beaudiene Blinkz, a full sister to Beaudiene Boaz, but she first fractured a hock then, when brought back into work, was found to have a suspensory ligament issue in the same leg and was retired.
Her replacement, Beaudiene Rocknroll, was also top of the pops for Green when shaping up for his two-year-old season. He liked him so much, big Melbourne owners Merv and Meg Butterworth bought a quarter share in the horse, joining the Kennedys and John and Lynne Street in the partnership.
But after only two starts he, too, ran into trouble, breaking a pedal bone which sidelined him for six months.
Beaudiene Rocknroll signalled he was back with two front-running workout wins in May but he got nowhere near the front in his first two comeback races.
Until Friday night, when driver Zachary Butcher gunned him out of the gate, the hot favourite Over The Top galloped inside him, and he found an uncontested lead.
The result was never in doubt afterwards and he cruised to the line three lengths clear in 2:43.8 for the 2200 metres.
Hale and hearty at the age of 22, Beaudiene Babe with her latest Always B Miki foal.“He’s pretty good in front and should have a bit more confidence now he’s won a race,” Kennedy said.
The Kennedys know he won’t ever be as good as the champion they bred (Im) Themightyquinn (58 wins, A$4.56million) and aren’t thinking he’s even a Beaudiene Bad Babe, Beaudiene Babe’s first foal who won 22 races and $404,000.
But it has given them the motivation to try breeding from the mare one more time.
Now 22, with 13 foals on her CV, Beaudiene Babe missed this year but has a lovely Always B Miki filly at foot, a sister to her yearling who fetched $180,000 in 2022.
“She’s still boss of the paddock, and acts like a 10-year-old. And she’s in such good order and does her foals so well.”
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Ray’s comments
Friday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Spirited Belle
4.46pm
Delany: “I saw she’d been punted but somebody must know something we don’t as I’ve been working her myself and, while she feels all right and hasn’t put the boot in like at Auckland, I think she’ll need the run. She hasn’t got any high speed but feels like she will stay. She has improved a bit but I’d be surprised if she won.”
Race 1: Lincoln Maree
4.46pm
“It’s always hard from these draws but she’s a tough mare who will make her own luck at some stage. She’s going well enough - her drivers have all been happy - and she’s a little warrior who tries like hell.”
Race 2: Major Copy
5.12pm
“He’s only two and very inexperienced but he feels like a good colt and there’s a lot of improvement in him. He certainly caught a lot of people’s attention last time. I don’t know how good he is yet but he’ll be right there.”
Race 2: Prince Lincoln
5.12pm
“If he can lead without having to do too much work I can’t see anything beating him. I thought he went great last start. He pressed the winner hard ’til the corner then just flattened out in the run home, but he had every reason to do that after all the work he’d done.”
Race 4: Spirit Of God
6.12pm
“She’s been undone by bad draws. If she led easily from three she’d be hard to beat as she’s a good front-runner.”
Race 4: Spirited Peggy
6.12pm
“We’ve had her for only two weeks but she’s seven now and has had her chance to win one. She has a bit of speed but I think she gets pulling so we’ve got the Hidez (compression) hood on her and plugged her ears up.”
Race 6: Copy N Paste
7.10pm
“We won’t see the best of him for another six months. He’s been a slow developing horse but is improving all the time and getting stronger.”
Race 6: Jessie Lincoln
7.10pm
“If I was having a bet on one of them in the race it would be her. She deserves to win one. Her last two have been really good - she just ran into one who was a bit slicker last time in Major Copy.”
Race 6: Lincoln Dealer
7.10pm
“He’s a bit one-dimensional - you’ve got to feed him track and let him run - so the second row draw is a big handicap. To his credit I was surprised he finished so close last time after all the work he did. When he gets a decent draw and crosses them they’ll know they’re at the races. He’s got a big motor and tries hard.”
Race 8: Rivergirl Bella
8.08pm
“She clawed her way to the front last time but had nothing left at the finish. That won’t happen this time and she should lead easily from one.”
Race 8: Angelic Copy
8.08pm
“She’s had terrible draws but has been going good races. The others last time were just better than her but this is a big drop in class. With the right trip she could get some of it at huge odds.”
Race 9: Sugar Ray Lincoln
8.35pm
“He’s not quick away from a stand but he won’t muff it completely. He steps from the front line and Peter Ferguson was quite happy with his last run.”
Race 9: Lincoln Wave
8.35pm
“He bombed the stand the first time but to be fair all those horses were rushing up at him from the back and that panicked him a bit. He’s on 10 metres this time so that won’t happen.”
