Beaudiene Boaz was sold immediately after this Harness Jewels triumph in 2014
Suspected snake bite in the Badlands claims Beaudiene Boaz
By Barry Lichter • 28 September 2018
Former Harness Jewels winner Beaudiene Boaz is dead, victim off a suspected snake bite.
The crack pacer, who was sold by Lincoln Farms in 2014, and went on to win 25 races and $1.25 million, had only just been retired by leading Perth trainer Gary Hall.
Sent south to a farm where he was to begin stud duties, the seven-year-old was found dead in his paddock this week.
“There’s no confirmation it was a snake bite but that’s what the vet reckoned caused it, judging by vital signs like his gums,’’ says Hall.
Hall recalls how he “paid far too much’’ for the Badlands Hanover colt after he scored a big upset in the Two-Year-Old Emerald at Cambridge.
“I could have bought him before the Jewels but I told the boys he’d get his brains kicked in by the stars and we’d get him cheaper afterwards.’’
Gary Hall … hoped to stand the horse commerciallyBut when the Lincoln Farms’ colt downed Bettor Spirits and Express Stride at odds of more than 37-to-one, Hall ended up having to dig deeper to find the new $250,000 asking price.
Within a few weeks of landing in Perth Beaudiene Boaz won the $125,000 Golden Slipper, the first of his five Group I wins.
In a trailblazing campaign Beaudiene Boaz won 19 of his first 23 starts in Perth.
A West Australian Derby win was followed by the Four-Year-Old Classic then the Gold Nugget before the $300,000 Fremantle Pacing Cup.
“He was a really good horse,’’ says Hall. “I thought he was going to be next best to Quinny (champion pacer I’m Themightyquinn) but he didn’t achieve what he could have.’’
Beaudiene Boaz ended up injuring a suspensory ligament and just when it looked like he would stand up to training when he made it back to the stable, he went in the leg again.
“He ended up being a bit of a bleeder too and in hindsight he might have been hurting because he changed from the quietest stallion you would find to being real nasty.
“His whole personality changed and I even had to twitch him to put his gear on.
“But he was a great pacer and were going to put a couple of mares to him. He was such a nice type I thought he might throw some nice horses.’’
This week’s freak death ended Hall’s hopes of standing the horse commercially.
More news in Harness
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Sugar Ray signals start of good year ahead with tough win; blinkers for Lincoln Wave
Winners and losers in dates for the new season - your month by month harness guide
Ray: Sammy Lincoln has ‘turned the corner’ and can go on with it on Friday night
Our runners this week: How our trainer rates them
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 1: Angelic Copy
4.53pm
“She’s done everything right and trialled really nicely. I think she’s forward enough to give some cheek. She’s only small. You like to think when you get a good two-year-old like her that they’ll get stronger and transition into a nice three-year-old but she hasn’t grown an inch. But she tries hard and enjoys being out there.”
Race 2: Major Copy
5.28pm
“I’m looking forward to seeing him. You never really know ’til you get to the races but he’s trialled well enough to start and I wouldn’t be surprised if he went a good race, despite the draw. He’s a nice sensible colt who’s done nothing wrong and he could develop into a really nice three-year-old.”
Race 6: Lincoln Wave
7.22pm
“He was starting to get into the habit of switching off so we trained him in blinds this week and he went pretty well. He was good from a standing start at the trials with shorteners in and Maurice was actually quite bullish about his standing start manners and thinks that, in time, he’ll end up being a quick beginner. If he steps well, and can land in the first one or two, he’ll definitely be hard to get round.”
Race 6: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.22pm
“He’s not spectacular from a stand but he will get away, albeit sometimes a bit slowly. Lincoln Wave has more speed than him but if it comes down to a slugfest he’d be too strong as he’s rock hard fit.”
Race 8: Prince Lincoln
8.23pm
“The blinds go back on this week and if he steps and leads like he did three starts ago that would make him the one to beat. He showed with that win that he’s above average and will be a serious chance.”
Race 8: Rivergirl Bella
8.23pm
“You could argue she’s a Cambridge horse but sometimes when you throw them in with the bear cats they lift their game and I thought she was really good here last week. Tony (Cameron) said she’d have finished a bit closer too if he hadn’t had to take hold of her close to home (when he ran out of room and hit a marker pole).”
Race 8: Sammy Lincoln
8.23pm
“We’ve got blinds on him this week. Harry said he lost concentration a couple of times last week, including at the top of the straight, and thought he’d be a bit more on to it with blinds on. I still thought his was the run of the race last time - none of the others could have done what he did - and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him score.”
