Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Breedshaping stallions of the ilk of Redoute’s Choice and Lonhro have taken out the Caulfield Guineas over the years, and the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Griff added his name to the race’s illustrious honour roll after a dominant 1.75l victory over talented colt Veight (Grunt {NZ}), with the previously unbeaten Steparty (Artie Schiller {USA}) going down all guns blazing in third.
The race wasn’t devoid of drama either, with short-priced favourite Militarize (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}) slowly into stride and Griff almost snatching defeat from the jaws of victory when he veered to his right and into the path of his nearest pursuers in the closing stages.
Sent off at odds of $31, Griff was the least fancied of the four Maher-Eustace runners despite winning both a Listed race at Flemington and the G2 Stutt S. on his previous two outings, but the colt overcame a horror draw in 15 of 15 to become the first horse since Whobegotyou (Street Cry {Ire}) in 2008 to complete the Stutt S.-Caulfield Guineas double.
On a day of firsts, Griff also became the first Group 1 winner for his Widden Stud-based sire Trapeze Artist, whilst also providing his ecstatic owner Sean Griffiths with his very first Group 1 winner as an owner.
“It’s still sinking in,” a delighted Griffiths told The Thoroughbred Report. “I was telling the Mrs beforehand that I was still getting over his win at Flemington!
“I thought he had a chance until the barrier draw, and then I thought no one really wins from out there that often, so we’re going to need luck.
“I thought he (Griff) had a chance until the barrier draw, and then I thought no one really wins from out there that often, so we’re going to need luck.” - Sean Griffiths
“I thought we’d burn some energy coming across, but I was next to Toby from Ciaron Maher’s and once they settled down I said to him that we’d just gone a 12 and a half sectional, which is perfect. I thought we might be able to hold on for a drum, I was thinking third, but I knew he was tough. He’s got a bit of heart and when he’s in front he’s hard to get by.
“He’s never drifted like that before either, he’s been pretty tractable. I think they said he shied at the screen or something, but I was completely lost by that point.”
The way Griff wandered about in the shadows of the post suggests that he is far from the finished article, a sentiment that is in keeping with what Griffiths has been told by the Maher and Eustace camp ever since his star colt first stepped foot in their stable.
David Eustace and Ben Melham | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
It promises to be a hugely exciting future for a horse who only broke his maiden at Warwick Farm as recently as June, and Griffiths is more than happy to leave that future in the hands of his esteemed trainers.
“They always had a good opinion of him, but they always said that he was very immature, very lean and very narrow, so whatever he did as a young horse was a bonus and on pure ability,” Griffiths added.
“Even his maiden win was a surprise because we thought that he’d need a prep or two to mature. I was happy with that one and I was thinking of the autumn in my hopes and dreams, but they gave him a freshen up and the bar just kept raising.
“I thought maybe 1600 metres would have found him out, but that’s why I leave it to Ciaron and Dave. They’re the best in the business and they’ll tell me what’s on the cards next. I’ll be happy to have a rest, but we’ll see if he goes for anything else.
“I thought maybe 1600 metres would have found him (Griff) out, but that’s why I leave it to Ciaron and Dave. They’re the best in the business and they’ll tell me what’s on the cards next.” - Sean Griffiths
“I don’t know if next year he’ll go back in trip to 1200 (metres), but I think a race like The Everest is on every owner’s menu, as is a Cox Plate. You just don’t consider these sorts of races when you set out, it’s a bit overwhelming really.”
Exceeding expectations
As a Group 1-winning 3-year-old colt by one of the country’s most commercial young stallions in Trapeze Artist, suitors are likely to be forming an orderly queue to secure Griff for stud duties once his career on the track has come to a close.
Griffiths, however, is intent on enjoying the ride for a little while longer yet and currently has no plans to relinquish his prized asset, whose name holds special significance as a family moniker.
Trapeze Artist | Standing at Widden
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think he’d become a stallion prospect, but I didn’t get into it to make money, so I’m going to race the good horses for as long as possible,” Griffiths said.
“After his maiden win there were a few little bites from Hong Kong, but I wasn’t going to sell one with a little bit of a namesake. There’s obviously a few Griffs and Griffos in the family, so he’s probably got a bit of a following.
“Once I saw the mare’s name I thought that it was an opportunity to call him after the family nickname and get everyone involved a bit, but it’s backfired a bit as now I seem like an arrogant p****, a one owner who has called the horse Griff after himself, and that’s the last thing I want. I’m not that sort of person, I’m not a limelight man.
“Once I saw the mare’s name (Chateau Griffo) I thought that it was an opportunity to call him (Griff) after the family nickname and get everyone involved a bit, but it’s backfired...” - Sean Griffiths
“I didn’t think he’d win at Moe, let alone this.”
Out of the Sebring mare Chateau Griffo, who was placed in the G3 Blue Diamond Preview for fillies as a juvenile, Griff was initially passed in at last year’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, before trainer Levi Kavanagh snapped him up on Griffiths’ behalf for $80,000.
With the majority of his ownership interests already in the Maher and Eustace stable, Griffiths elected to send his new acquisition into training with the all-conquering operation, joining the two other horses whom the Mornington-based carpenter owns outright.
Having observed the careers of both his sire and dam from afar, Griffiths kept a close eye on Griff when he was offered for sale by his co-breeders Widden Stud as a yearling, but given the racetrack exploits of Trapeze Artist and Chateau Griffo, he didn’t hold out much hope of landing a bid on the distant member of the fruitful Hips Don’t Lie (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}) family.
Griff as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
“I followed the dam Chateau Griffo because of the namesake and I knew she was a good horse, so when I saw him come up at the Melbourne sale I thought as long as he’s fit and healthy then I’d have a crack,” he recalled.
“I thought that I could easily upgrade the dam’s race record because I think she should have beaten Limestone and Tulip on her first start in the Blue Diamond Preview - I think she ran some of the best sectionals of the day. I thought that Trapeze Artist was underrated, he just kept winning and at big odds too, so I wasn’t worried about the sire either.
“I watched the sale to see what he would go for and I didn’t think I’d ever be able to get him. When he passed in I thought that he might have something wrong with him, so I rang Ciaron and Gab (Nutt) to see if maybe he scoped badly or something, but they had nothing bad to say about him, and Levi said he was fine, so I thought we’d roll the dice.
“I watched the sale to see what he (Griff) would go for and I didn’t think I’d ever be able to get him.” - Sean Griffiths
“He looked athletic to me, physically, so on the outside he was all good, but I think the roman nose threw a few people off. He hasn’t got the prettiest head, but who does?
“I thought he’d maybe run at Moe on a Thursday or something and it would be a bit of an interest for us, but he just keeps raising the bar.”
Like father like son
Griffiths, whose interest in racing can be traced back to his teenage years, currently has varying percentages in six horses with Maher and Eustace, but it wasn’t until his Dad fell ill a few years ago that he decided to ramp up his ownership interests.
His father, like Griffiths himself, is an ex-military man, and following the progress of Griffiths’ string of horses has proven to be a huge source of enjoyment for the pair.
“I used to work at Tony Noonan’s stables as a teenager and I’ve loved horses from there,” Griffiths said. “I’ve always been a mad punter and bet on the weekend, and as you get older you can afford some shares.
“I used to work at Tony Noonan’s stables as a teenager and I’ve loved horses from there.” - Sean Griffiths
“As the finances dictate I’ve got a little bigger. My old man had a bad medical diagnosis a few years ago and we thought he might not be around that long. We’ve punted together every Saturday for the past 20 or 30 years and I thought getting involved with a few shares could be a good way to keep an interest together and keep him involved.
“At the time he wasn’t given that long but they gave him a bit longer and he’s still here. Every time one of the horses wins you think the excitement might give him a bit more, he’s loving it.
“Getting the emails is a big part of it and Ciaron Maher is so good at keeping the owners updated with videos every week. Even when they’re not racing it keeps your mind busy and stimulated, which is good for everybody.”
The Maher and Eustace juggernaut was also experiencing a first on Saturday as the dynamic duo added the G1 Caulfield Guineas to their burgeoning resumes, and Griffiths could not be more effusive in his praise for Victoria’s Champion Trainers.
Griff winning the G1 Caulfield Guineas | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“You can’t go wrong with them,” he said. “I only know from my years of experience punting, but if you want to get with the best then you’ve got to put them with the best.
“They’re that much larger that they can offer so much variety. The horses can be at the beach or a quieter training area in the paddocks and out of the city - they can be anywhere. They just figure it out, send them there and all without the extra costs that other trainers have as it’s part of their regular package.
“They know more than me and, like anything, you just have to trust them until you can’t, but they have never given me any reason not to. They are very professional and they’re good blokes as well.”
Living the dream
Griffiths also has a share in the stakes-winning filly Zoukerette (I Am Invincible) with the Maher and Eustace team, a filly who cost decidedly more than her Group 1-winning stablemate Griff having been secured by her trainers in conjunction with Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA) for $800,000 at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Zoukerette | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
With both a stallion prospect and a valuable broodmare proposition among his small team of horses, it’s hardly surprising that Griffiths’ enthusiasm for the game shows no sign of relenting, but despite his remarkable success, the ex-military man is managing to keep his feet firmly on the ground.
“I said to the boys (Maher and Eustace) that I’m a bit worried that it’s all downhill after this,” he quipped. “To get a Group 1 this early in the venture is amazing really, but I think I’ve set myself up for disappointment now.
“I remember being in the paddock with one of Ciaron Maher’s team and they asked what race I wanted to win, and I said I’d be happy if I won on a Saturday. I don’t care where they run, I just like the interest of having them run around.
“I remember being in the paddock with one of Ciaron Maher’s team and they asked what race I wanted to win, and I said I’d be happy if I won on a Saturday. I don’t care where they run, I just like the interest of having them run around.” - Sean Griffiths
“A lot of people give you a little bit of stick if you own horses, they think it’s a bit of a nothing venture, but I love the sport and I’ll always be a part of it. It’s such a great thrill.
“The emotion is more than going to war, I can tell you that. I didn’t expect it and I thought I’d be able to handle it a bit better - I’m still getting over having a Flemington winner!”
Judging by that time scale, it will take Griffiths far more than a few weeks to get over his latest triumph.
