Memsie Stakes: Behemoth goes back-to-back

Behemoth, without originally booked rider Jamie Kah, has become the first horse to go back-to-back in the Memsie Stakes since the great Sunline.

Behemoth ridden by Brett Prebble wins the Memsie Stakes. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images

An emotional Brett Prebble marked his Melbourne riding renaissance in trademark style, executing a tactically perfect ride to help Behemoth clinch back-to-back Group 1 Memsie Stakes.

Not bad for the jockey who woke up Friday without a ride in the first Group 1 of the Victorian season.

But the extraordinary shock unavailability of Jamie Kah, originally booked to ride Behemoth, would double as a well-earned and deserved sliding-doors moment for Prebble.

The 43-year-old has spent the best part of 18 months, after more than a decade of brilliance in Hong Kong, riding at Victorian provincial tracks in pursuit of one intangible – a sense of belonging.

“I got the opportunity (to ride Behemoth) but you got to go out there and put your hand up,” a teary-eyed Prebble said.

“It’s a funny game back in Melbourne, same as Hong Kong, you go there with all the credentials you may have and you start afresh, that’s how I’ve felt here.

“It doesn't matter what you’ve done in the past you got to re-earn your stripes.

“The boys that have been here the last 10-15 years, while I’ve been away, they’ve been working hard and doing the hard yards and being successful … no reason to drop them and put Brett Prebble on.

“I thought go back to grassroots, I worked hard and that's how I’ve become successful.”

Incredibly, the win on the David Jolly-trained Behemoth not only iced Prebble’s comeback but sets up a tantalising spring for the instinctive master horseman who will ride fancied Incentivise in the Cups.

Behemoth jumped nicely and landed midfield in the $1m 1400m feature in a stalking position behind favourite Tofane.

As the speed relaxed Prebble took the opportunity to slide up alongside Craig Williams on Tofane to hold the Michael Moroney-trained mare in a pocket before shooting for home entering the straight.

“He gave me a real sweet ride until Craig was jostling around up front,” Prebble said.

“I didn’t want to keep pulling the big horse around, I thought the tempo was nice, if I could creep (forward three wide) get a cheap 100m and get outside Craig.

“If I could get him in that zip lock I was going to do that, I did, and when I got him rolling he gave me a good feel, I thought he was going to give me a really good turn of foot but it died quickly actually.

“His toughness and grit got him home.”

South Australian rising star Beau Rossa finished strongly for second with Linda Meech, who replaced suspended jockey Ben Melham, ahead of Tofane and Kiwi visitor Aegon.

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