Beau Vite

Beau Vite was a New Zealand-bred brown Thoroughbred Stallion, who developed into a grand stayer performing in New Zealand and Australia and raced from a two-year-old to a five-year-old on wet or dry tracks recording 31 wins from 5 furlongs to 2¼ miles.^[2][3] Beau Vite is a member of the Australian Racing Hall of Fame.^[4]

Beau Vite
Beau Vite and Ted McMenamin
Sire	Beau Pere (GB)
Grandsire	Son- In- Law (GB)
Dam	Dominant (NZ)
Damsire	Martian (NZ)
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1936
Country	New Zealand
Colour	Brown
Breeder	J.Curran
Owner	Ralph Stewart
Trainer	T.R. George F. McGrath Snr
Record	60: 31,9,5
Earnings	£26,680
Major wins
Canterbury Stakes (1939) Metropolitan Handicap (1940) Hill Stakes (1940) Great Northern Derby (1940) Auckland Cup (1940) Awapuni Gold Cup (1940) Clifford Plate (1940,1941) Colin Stephen Stakes (1940,1941) Craven Plate (1940,1941) W. S. Cox Plate (1940,1941) LKS Mackinnon Stakes (1940,1941) Rawson Stakes (1941) AJC Plate (1941) Chelmsford Stakes (1941) AJC Autumn Plate (1941,1942)
Honours
New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame Australian Racing Hall of Fame[1]

Breeding

Beau Pere (GB) sire of Beau Vite was a highly successful sire in three of four countries standing at stud.^[5] Beau Vite was bred by Mr J.Curran from Shannon, New Zealand and sold as a yearling to owner Ralph Stewart at the Wellington National sales for 900 guineas.

Dam Dominant (NZ) was purchased by Mr C.R.Bidwell for 200 guineas and raced by Mr J.A Taylor for 3 seasons winning only a trial hack race at Napier, New Zealand.^[6]

Racing career

Beau Vite raced between 1938 -1942 and raced for four seasons a dual W. S. Cox Plate winner in 1940 and 1941 when ridden by Ted McMenamin and Darby Munro.^[7][8][9] Defeated rival champions Ajax, High Caste, Tranquil Star and Beaulivre throughout career and in 1942 was retired to St Aubins stud Scone.^[10][11][12] Beau Vite's racing colours were Red, yellow spots, red cap in Australia.

Owner Ralph Stewart was born in Queensland a soldier in the Boer war established himself in the hotel business New Zealand and on his retirement entered the horse racing industry.^[13]

Trainer Frank McGrath senior (1866-1947) a former jockey who progressed from training ponies at Canterbury to master trainer of multiple classic winners in the champions Peter Pan, Amounis and Prince Foote from Randwick Racecourse his stables were located at 158 Doncaster Ave Kensington.^[14]

Beau Vite's racing record: 60 starts for 31 wins, 9 seconds, 5 thirds.^[15]

1942 racebook

• 
  1942 Sydney Cup racebook front cover.
• 
  1942 Sydney Cup showing Beau Vite last career start 3rd placed.
• 
  1942 Sydney Cup racebook showing the winner, Veiled Threat.
• 
  1942 Sydney Cup racebook.

See also

• Thoroughbred racing in New Zealand

References

1. "Hall of Fame Beau Vite". racingvictoria.com.au. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
2. Arrold, Tony (1980). Champions. Tralca Sydney. pp. 42–44. ISBN 978-0959445800. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
3. "Beau Vite Tabulated Pedigree". www.pedigreequery.com. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
4. "Hall of Fame Beau Vite". racingvictoria.com.au. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
5. "Beau Pere Sire". www.tbheritage.com. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
6. National Library of Australia (19 October 1940). "Beau Vite Breeding". No. P 43. The Australasian Melbourne. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
7. National Library of Australia (26 October 1940). "Beau Vite Cox Plate win 1940". No. P 17. The Herald Melbourne. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
8. National Library of Australia (26 October 1941). "Beau Vite Cox Plate win 1941". No. P 3. Truth Sydney. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
9. "1941 Cox Plate Video". www.britishpathe.com. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
10. National Library of Australia (7 September 1942). "Beau Vite Retires". No. P 15. The Daily Telegraph Sydney. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
11. "Beau Vite stud page". www.studbook.org.au. Australian Stud Book. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
12. "St Aubin's History". www.scone.com.au. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
13. National Library of Australia (4 November 1940). "Ralph Stewart Owner". No. P 4. Townsville Daily Bulletin. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
14. "McGrath Francis 1866-1947". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
15. "Beau Vite Career Race Starts". www.racehorsetalk.com.au. Racehorsetalk. Retrieved 22 March 2019.