CHAMPION Beautide became the first Tasmanian horse to win two Inter-Dominion pacing series and earned the mantle of the best pacer of the modern era with a scintillating win at Menangle yesterday.
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Beautide went close to breaking his own world record when he won the final by 13.9 metres in a mile rate of 1:55.8.
‘‘To win two Inter-Dominions is fantastic. How do you compare one great moment to another great moment?’’ part-owner and breeder Barrie Rattray said.
Beautide ($.70 fav) was always prominent in the run before forging to the lead in the $750,000 final and breaking clear after a few taps with the whip from his 29-year-old driver, James Rattray.
Such was the ease of his win, Rattray was able to make a sustained salute with the whip as Beautide approached the line.
‘‘He loves this track and distance and it was always my intention to be handy to the lead and I knew I had plenty of horse when I released the ear plugs,’’ Rattray said.
Harness racing expert Adam Hamilton rated Beautide’s effort as better than that of Inter-Dominion multiple winners Blacks A Fake and Im Themightyquinn.
‘‘He’s a tougher horse than Im Themightyquinn and I don’t think Blacks A Fake could have done what he has done today,’’ Hamilton said.
‘‘He deserves to be rated among the greatest horses of the modern era.’’
Beautide becomes the sixth horse in the 79-year history of the trans-Tasman challenge to have won the race twice and the first Tasmanian to have the Inter-Dominion and the Miracle Mile to his name.
Yesterday’s win took his stake earnings to $1.97 million – about the same as that of popular thoroughbreds Geegees Blackflash and The Cleaner put together.
‘‘He’s a lovely horse and we’re so lucky to have him,’’ Barrie Rattray said.
‘‘I wouldn’t describe him as a life-changing horse but he’s presented us with opportunities that we didn’t have before.’’
Rattray revealed his family had bought a 24-hectare property at Exeter on the NSW South Coast and James was in the process of developing it to their needs.