Bloodlines run deep for the Begg family

Familial bloodlines - of both the horse and human variety - have underpinned a sustained period of success for Neville and Grahame Begg, with their famous black and white silks an increasingly familiar sight in the winner’s circle this season.

The father and son team are a formidable and seemingly unstoppable force, with Begg Snr - the Hall of Famer trainer who turned 94 last week - breeding a succession of fast horses and Begg Jnr putting the polish on them from his Cranbourne base. 

With a remarkable win rate of 28 per cent from their last 50 runners, the Grahame Begg Racing stable is currently running red hot and despite his advancing years, the family patriarch continues to play a key role behind the scenes in supplying much of the equine ammunition.   

Take his homebred colt Royal Insignia, the full-brother to Begg’s Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) hero Written By, who will chase further black type this autumn following his Stakes breakthrough at Sandown last weekend. The Beggs also harbour lofty aspirations for Perfect Picture after the filly’s dynamic debut win in the Future Stars Series in mid-January. 

The indelible link between the two is Yau Chin, the dearly-departed mare whose racing career was only moderate but who will be remembered for her outstanding record as a producer of topline sprinters.     

Before her passing last week at the age of 19, Yau Chin had given birth to a succession of Stakes winners. They are headlined by Written By, the champion two-year-old colt who is now making his mark in the breeding barn for Widden Stud, and C’est Magique, the 2024 Group 2 Dane Ripper (1300m) victor who was purchased by Coolmore for $1.7 million at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale. 

Yau Chin’s speedy son Royal Insignia is the new kid on the block, and the three-year-old looks well capable of competing at racing’s elite level after he rocketed into Australian Guineas (1600m) calculations courtesy of his victory in the Group 3 Manfred Stakes (1200m). Similarly, Yau Chin’s grand-daughter Perfect Picture is potentially on a path towards the Group 2 Angus Armanasco Stakes (1400m) in late-February, provided she comes through her next test with flying colours.

The filly, a fully-fledged member of the VOBIS Sires program through her sire Toronado, burst onto the scene with a borderline arrogant win in the second heat of the Future Stars Series at Pakenham.

Having earned almost $50,000 in prizemoney and VOBIS bonuses for connections through her dazzling debut win by two-and-a-half lengths, Perfect Picture will go in search of a first city success at Sandown on Wednesday before Begg Jnr raises his sights further down the track.   

“She was very impressive on debut,” he said. 

“She’s always shown us above average ability at home, but they don’t always take that to the racetrack and especially on debut. She drew a nice soft gate and got a really nice ride, and the way she picked her way through the field and let down was very pleasing. 

“It was a great result to get a win for Dad in his colours, and even better that we managed to pick up some very handy VOBIS bonuses along the way. We’ve had some great success with the family down the years, and obviously we’d love to pick up some more black type with this girl. If she can keep progressing the way she has been, then there’s no reason why she couldn’t win a Stakes race in the near future. 

“She’s definitely got the ability, but we’ll know more after her next run because it’s not easy to step up from Maiden grade and win again. If she does put back-to-back wins together, we might look at a race like the Angus Armanasco Stakes with her at the end of February. 

“Her dam is Take A Selfie so she was well-named by Dad, he turned 94 last week and is still as sharp as a tack and is still breeding some lovely horses. We liked the mating with Toronado, he’s been performing so consistently at stud for Swettenham for many years now, so you know what you’re going to get with him.”

The same consistency applies to Victoria’s champion stallion Written Tycoon, who despite being in the twilight of a stunning stud career is still producing the goods in the sales ring and on the racetrack. 

His matings with Yau Chin have produced some remarkable results, and whilst the mare’s recent ascension to the great paddock in the sky means that the Zoustar filly she gave birth to last spring will be her final foal, Royal Insignia’s boundless potential should ensure that her legacy will live on for quite some time yet.   

Despite a somewhat coltish parade, Royal Insignia still proved too powerful for some highly-credentialled rivals in sealing a hat-trick of wins last Saturday, and he will now look to extend his picket fence in the Group 3 C.S. Hayes Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on Saturday, 15 February.

Should he continue his rapid rise through the grades in the traditional lead-up to the Australian Guineas, a date with destiny awaits at Flemington two weeks later when he could seal a highly lucrative future career at stud - potentially alongside his famous father at Yulong - with victory in Victoria’s pre-eminent contest for three-year-olds. 

“I’ve always had a lot of faith in this horse,” said an emotional Begg post-race. 

“Everything went wrong for him on debut at Bendigo, so we tipped him out for a spell. He was still a bit wayward at his second start, but since his win on Kyneton Cup Day towards the end of spring, the penny has really dropped and he’s showing us what he can do. 

“He’s gone to another level this prep so he’s a pretty exciting horse now. He’s very unassuming, travels beautifully and wants to find the line, so those traits should take him a long way in this game. Who knows how far he can go, but we’re certainly excited to find out.”