Punters could have been excused for dismissing six-year-old hurdler Guara Grove Beast when he was resuming from a spell at Sale on Tuesday. He was up against some in form horses and obviously was looking for further and this is why he was sent out a despised 70-1 shot on the TAB.
Luckily horses do not read the formguide and after two very sound trials, Guara Grove Beast went into the race with a good fresh record and a liking for the Sale track. He showed a little bit of dash out of the gates before jockey Brian Higgins settled him in a midfield position on the fence.
He snuck up along the inside in the straight and took a small gap and was too strong in the finish. Even though he was first-up from a spell, he is looking towards a hurdling campaign at Oakbank and he had the miles in his legs.
The victory sets up what should be a rewarding preparation for Guara Grove Beast and his owners. He now takes his career tally to 4 wins, 5 seconds and 7 thirds from 42 starts and almost $70,000 in prizemoney.
Congratulations to the winning owners Bernard Terhorst and Geoff McGregor.
The victory caps off an excellent week for the stable. A win from stable newcomer Schwarzer at Mornington and a treble on Australia Day to Guara Grove Beast, Fly With Me at Doomben and True Vision at Balnarring.