Regal Might’s Toughness Shines Through in Bendigo Thriller

Regal Might Shows His Grit in Thrilling Bendigo Dead Heat

Regal Might has produced one of the toughest performances of his preparation, dead-heating with Zourain in a thrilling finish to the final race at Bendigo.

The John McArdle-trained gelding had already shown his affinity for the track with two previous seconds at Bendigo, but stepping up to 1400 metres carrying 61.5kg presented another significant challenge.

In the end, Regal Might showed exactly what makes him such a highly regarded horse within the Regal Bloodstock team—his toughness, consistency and sheer determination.

From barrier two, Group 1-winning jockey Luke Nolen allowed Regal Might to jump cleanly and roll forward, taking up the running and establishing a genuine tempo.

The five-year-old travelled comfortably in front, with Zourain sitting just behind him and What A Ripper and race favourite Celestial Award settling further back.

As the field rounded the Bendigo turn, Regal Might remained in control.

Celestial Award was under pressure, while Zourain began to issue his challenge down the outside.

But Regal Might was not finished.

Regal Might refuses to surrender

Entering the long Bendigo straight, Regal Might continued to find under pressure.

Zourain gradually closed the margin and, in the final stages, appeared to be getting the better of the battle.

Yet Regal Might simply refused to give in.

The pair hit the line together, with the judge unable to separate them after an extremely close photo.

The result was declared a dead heat.

It was an appropriate result for a race that had seen Regal Might give absolutely everything.

The performance was particularly impressive given the circumstances surrounding his preparation.

Over the previous four weeks, his campaign had been interrupted by scratchings, unsuitable track conditions and difficult barriers, leaving him with only a handful of strong gallops.

Much of his work had instead been completed on the water walker, rather than through the harder preparation some horses require.

Despite that, Regal Might stepped up to 1400 metres, carried 61.5kg, led through a genuine early tempo and still had enough in reserve to fight right through the final 450 metres.

That resilience was the defining feature of the performance.

Nolen delivers a measured ride

Luke Nolen played an important role in the result.

From barrier two, the experienced jockey quickly established Regal Might in front before allowing him to settle into his rhythm.

Rather than attempting to make the horse do too much, Nolen kept him relaxed and allowed him to “free bowl” through the middle stages.

The ride proved crucial.

Regal Might was able to conserve enough energy to produce a sustained effort in the straight, and when Zourain came alongside late, he had enough left to fight all the way to the line.

It was precisely the sort of ride expected from a jockey with Nolen’s experience at the highest level of racing.

A performance that suggests more is to come

For John McArdle and his team, the result was also a significant training performance.

Regal Might had been through a stop-start preparation, yet McArdle had him fit enough to produce arguably one of his best efforts of the campaign.

The gelding has now raced deeper into this preparation than any previous campaign in his career, making his ability to produce this performance particularly encouraging.

His two previous starts at Bendigo had resulted in seconds.

This time, he finally got his reward—or at least half of it—with the dead heat giving him a well-deserved victory.

Importantly, there should still be improvement to come.

The 1400-metre journey was a genuine test, particularly under 61.5kg, and Regal Might is expected to take considerable benefit from the run.

The Regal Bloodstock team will now monitor how he recovers before determining his next assignment, with a 1300–1400 metre race potentially on the agenda.

A Friday night assignment could be considered, and connections would not be afraid to raise the class if the right opportunity presents.

Tough, honest and consistent

What makes Regal Might such an exciting horse for his owners is not simply his ability to win races.

It is the way he goes about his racing.

He is tough.

He is honest.

And he continues to put himself in the finish.

His Bendigo record now reads three starts for a win and two seconds, while this latest performance came under circumstances that could easily have seen another horse succumb late.

Instead, Regal Might dug deep when it mattered most.

The final verdict was a dead heat, but for the Regal Bloodstock team, the performance was every bit as satisfying as a clear-cut victory.

There is also plenty of respect for the work of John McArdle and his team in getting the horse to the races through an interrupted preparation, while Luke Nolen’s calm and experienced ride ensured Regal Might was given every opportunity.

After five starts into what has already become his deepest preparation, Regal Might has once again shown that he can perform even when conditions are far from ideal.

And if he can take natural improvement from this 1400-metre test, his next assignment could be very interesting indeed.

For a horse that has continually had to overcome interruptions this preparation, Regal Might’s Bendigo dead heat was a fitting reward for his toughness.

And will still be more to come.

You can watch Regal Might’s win at Bendigo here.