Mitch Beer chasing Inglis Sprint payday with bargain buy Well In Sight

Mitch Beer is aiming for a fourth straight win with an ex-Maher/Eustace galloper that was on her way to China when she takes on the rich Inglis Sprint at Flemington on Saturday.

Mitch Beer bought Inglis Sprint-bound Well In Sight on an online sale run in New Zealand.

Albury trainer Mitch Beer would attest to the idea that Covid-19 has made the world work in mysterious ways.

Beer’s stable on the NSW side of the border with Victoria suffered for months with closures making it difficult for staff to get to work while placing his horses was just as hard.

But the Covid travel restrictions also brought unbeaten filly Well In Sight into Beer’s world.

Beer marvelled at how the world has worked since Covid emerged in 2020.

“Covid has been a real kick in the nuts for us in Albury, but I guess she’s been a little gift back,” he said.

“Everyone has had to look for silver linings and positives over the last two years and this little filly is one of those.”

Well In Sight was a $170,000 yearling purchase that trialled twice for the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace camp.

But Beer paid a fraction of that amount for the daughter of Shalaa.

“It doesn’t get more obscure in how she came to our stable,” Beer said.

“I am a bit of a purveyor of online bloodstock, and we trawl through the sales and there’s a little website that runs sales in New Zealand.

“I saw on this website that there were these eight or 10 horses in New Zealand, but they were all bought in Australia, but they weren’t registered with the New Zealand Stud Book.

“We did our research and found that they were owned by a Chinese owner that wanted to move all his racing stock to China but during Covid, that was impossible.

“They sat in a paddock for a while in Australia and the only way he could get them to China was via New Zealand, so he sent them there and they got stuck there.

“He just pulled the pin, put them on the internet, and sold them. We bought her for $19,000 and got her back over her to Albury.”

Well In Sight quickly proved herself a bargain, winning on debut on her home track in January before stringing together another two wins, taking on older hardened veterans in all three runs.

But Beer and the ownership group that includes Sky racecaller Anthony Manton and former Hawthorn and Carlton midfielder Daniel Harford are going for broke in Saturday’s $750,000 Inglis Sprint at Flemington.

Beer knows Well In Sight faces a tough task of beating the well-performed duo Overpass and Sneaky Five.

But a minor slice of the rich purse would do connections nicely.

“I just thought if we get her over here and she can win a few races, she can pay for herself and if we get anything better, then that would be a bonus,” Beer said.

“I guess we’re venturing into that bonus area now because she’s put 55 grand in the bank in three starts.

“If Overpass and Sneaky Five run to their form, it’s hard to make a case to say they won’t run one-two but there’s plenty of money there below the winning position.”

Well In Sight is a $31 chance to produce an upset at Flemington on Saturday.

Originally published as Mitch Beer chasing Inglis Sprint payday with bargain buy Well In Sight