Chris Waller’s high‑cruising entire Beiwacht launched his four‑year-old season in spectacular fashion at Caulfield on Saturday, producing a commanding front‑running display to dominate the 2026 Memsie Stakes and put a three‑length gap on the evergreen Mr Brightside in the first Group 1 of Melbourne’s spring.

2026 Memsie Stakes winner Beiwacht was huge first-up leading all-the-way for his third Group 1. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The opening major of the carnival delivered a performance to remember, with the Bivouac colt extending his already formidable 1400m résumé and turning his Caulfield debut into a one‑horse show in the $750,000 Memsie Stakes.

Already a dual Group 1 winner at the trip thanks to last year’s Golden Rose blowout and his All Aged Stakes triumph in the autumn, Beiwacht ($6) converted strong trial form into another polished seven‑furlong victory.

“He’s done a great job,” Waller told Racing Victoria.

“He beat the older horses in the All Aged and it was a great ride by Nash today and to see him come back, it was a terrific win.”

Nash Rawiller, who partnered him in the All Aged Stakes, was back aboard and again produced a textbook ride, controlling the race from the front and never giving his rivals a chance.

Mr Brightside, returning for his fourth straight Memsie assignment having won back in 2023 before back-to-back seconds, chased bravely but had to settle for second for the third consecutive year.

“It (Rawiller’s ride) came about in the autumn when he won the All Aged Stakes when his normal rider wasn’t available,” Waller added.

“He loves Caulfield, Nash, and he’s a patriotic Victorian and he doesn’t say much.

“It was the perfect booking, as simple as that.”

Rawiller, however, had plenty to say after the win.

“What a thrill. You know, I just pray all week that he’d come out and do something like that, but it’s like a dream come true when he has,” he said.

“He’s always been a lovely colt and, you know, an entire as a four-year-old, but he just went to a new level today. There’s no doubt about that.

“He’s always had a good attitude, he’s always just had that raw, high cruising speed, he’s just matured and God, that was a special feeling the whole way up the straight. He just had them cold. It was exciting.”

The Andrea Leek-trained Cosmic Crusader, unbeaten in his first two starts of the season, boxed on for third to complete the trifecta, but the race belonged entirely to Beiwacht, who jumped cleanly from gate seven and controlled the tempo throughout in a powerful barrier‑to‑box display.

“He’s really fitted in well to our system,” Waller said of the Godolphin‑raced entire, who joined his yard after James Cummings’ departure overseas.

“Saddling him up before the race, he was a delight to work with. He was really focussed. It sounds like I’m talking about a person, but he was really in the zone and just concentrating on his racing.”

While Beiwacht’s spring options are plentiful, Waller was quick to rule out Flemington’s straight‑track features after the horse failed to fire in the Lightning Stakes earlier in the year.

“We said last year we were keen to take him internationally, but he’s not a real straight horse,” Waller explained.

“He was out of his comfort zone in the Lightning, and it dented our confidence a little bit.

“He’s a specialist 1400-metre type horse, so there are some international thoughts there.

“We’ll find something. I’ll talk to the Godolphin team and I’m sure there will be some good races in store for him.”

Domestically, the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes back at Caulfield on September 19 looms as a natural next step, while the $10 million Golden Eagle at Randwick on October 31 is also firmly in play for the now triple Group 1 winner.

Futures markets reacted immediately, with Beiwacht tightening from $15 into $7 for the Sir Rupert Clarke at Ladbrokes, and sitting at $11 on the third line of early Golden Eagle betting.

2026 Memsie Stakes Results & Finishing Order