{{Short description|New Zealand Thoroughbred racehorse}}
{{Infobox racehorse | horsename = Beau Vite | image = [[File:Beau Vite 1940 MVRC W. S. Cox Plate Jockey Ted McMenamin Trainer Frank McGrath.jpg|260px]] | caption = Beau Vite and Ted McMenamin | sire = Beau Pere (GB) | grandsire = Son- In- Law (GB) | dam = Dominant (NZ) | damsire = Martian (NZ) | sex = [[Stallion]] | foaled = 1936 | country = [[New Zealand]] | colour = Brown | breeder = J.Curran | owner = Ralph Stewart | trainer = T.R. George <br> F. McGrath Snr | record =60: 31,9,5 | earnings = £26,680 | race = [[Canterbury Stakes]] (1939)<br>[[The Metropolitan (ATC)|Metropolitan Handicap]] (1940)<br>[[Hill Stakes]] (1940)<br>[[Great Northern Derby (race)|Great Northern Derby (1940)]]<br>[[Auckland Cup]] (1940)<br>[[Awapuni Gold Cup]] (1940)<br>Clifford Plate (1940,1941)<br>[[Colin Stephen Quality Handicap|Colin Stephen Stakes]] (1940,1941)<br>[[Craven Plate]] (1940,1941)<br>[[W. S. Cox Plate]] (1940,1941)<br> [[LKS Mackinnon Stakes]] (1940,1941)<br>[[Ranvet Stakes|Rawson Stakes]] (1941)<br>[[Queen Elizabeth Stakes (ATC)|AJC Plate]] (1941)<br> [[Chelmsford Stakes]] (1941)<br>AJC Autumn Plate (1941,1942) | awards = | honours = [[New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame]]<br>[[Australian Racing Hall of Fame]]<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.racingvictoria.com.au/the-sport/racing/australian-racing-museum/hall-of-fame/horses/beau-vite |title=Hall of Fame Beau Vite |publisher=racingvictoria.com.au |access-date=17 May 2021}}</ref> }}
'''Beau Vite''' was a [[New Zealand]]-bred brown [[Thoroughbred]] [[Stallion]], who developed into a grand stayer performing in New Zealand and Australia and raced from a two-year-old to a five-year-old on wet or dry tracks recording 31 wins from 5 furlongs to 2¼ miles.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Arrold |first1=Tony |title=Champions |date=1980 |publisher=Tralca Sydney |isbn=978-0959445800 |pages=42–44 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/21863274?q=champions+tony+arrold&c=book&versionId=46253619 |access-date=31 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Beau Vite Tabulated Pedigree |url=https://www.pedigreequery.com/beau+vite |website=www.pedigreequery.com |access-date=31 December 2018}}</ref> Beau Vite is a member of the [[Australian Racing Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.racingvictoria.com.au/the-sport/racing/australian-racing-museum/hall-of-fame/horses/beau-vite |title=Hall of Fame Beau Vite |publisher=racingvictoria.com.au |access-date=17 May 2021}}</ref>
==Breeding==
Beau Pere (GB) sire of Beau Vite was a highly successful sire in three of four countries standing at stud.<ref>{{cite web |title=Beau Pere Sire |url=http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/BeauPere.html |website=www.tbheritage.com |access-date=6 February 2019}}</ref> Beau Vite was bred by Mr J.Curran from [[Shannon, New Zealand]] and sold as a yearling to owner Ralph Stewart at the [[Wellington]] National sales for 900 guineas.
Dam Dominant (NZ) was purchased by Mr C.R.Bidwell for 200 guineas and raced by Mr J.A Taylor for 3 seasons winning only a trial hack race at [[Napier, New Zealand]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=National Library of Australia |title=Beau Vite Breeding |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/142143532?searchTerm=beau%20vite%20J%20CURRAN%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&searchLimits= |access-date=3 February 2019 |issue=43 |publisher=The Australasian Melbourne |date=19 October 1940}}</ref>
==Racing career==
Beau Vite raced between 1938 and 1942 and raced for four seasons a dual [[W. S. Cox Plate]] winner in 1940 and 1941 when ridden by Ted McMenamin and [[Darby Munro]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=National Library of Australia |title=Beau Vite Cox Plate win 1940 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/244462951?searchTerm=BEAU%20VITE%20COX%20PLATE%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&searchLimits=l-decade=194|access-date=4 February 2019 |issue=17 |publisher=The Herald Melbourne |date=26 October 1940}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=National Library of Australia |title=Beau Vite Cox Plate win 1941 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/169769185?searchTerm=BEAU%20VITE%20COX%20PLATE%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&searchLimits=l-decade=194|access-date=4 February 2019 |issue=P 3 |publisher=Truth Sydney |date=26 October 1941}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=1941 Cox Plate Video |url=https://www.britishpathe.com/video/champion-race-horse-beaten |website=www.britishpathe.com |access-date=6 February 2019}}</ref> Defeated rival champions [[Ajax II|Ajax]], [[High Caste]], [[Tranquil Star]] and Beaulivre throughout career and in 1942 was retired to St Aubins stud [[Scone, New South Wales|Scone]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=National Library of Australia |title=Beau Vite Retires |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/247893449?searchTerm=beau%20vite%20retired%20stud%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&searchLimits=l-state=New+South+Wales|access-date=6 February 2019 |issue=15 |publisher=The Daily Telegraph Sydney |date=7 September 1942}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Beau Vite stud page |url=http://www.studbook.org.au/Horse.aspx?hid=196898 |website=www.studbook.org.au |publisher=Australian Stud Book |access-date=6 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=St Aubin's History |url=http://www.scone.com.au/st-aubins-history-home/ |website=www.scone.com.au |access-date=6 February 2019 |archive-date=4 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204085310/http://www.scone.com.au/st-aubins-history-home/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Beau Vite's racing colours were Red, yellow spots, red cap in Australia.
Owner Ralph Stewart was born in [[Queensland]] a soldier in the Boer war established himself in the hotel business [[New Zealand]] and on his retirement entered the horse racing industry.<ref>{{cite news |last1=National Library of Australia |title=Ralph Stewart Owner |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/63162515?searchTerm=beau%20vite%20retired%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&searchLimits= |access-date=31 December 2018 |issue=P 4 |publisher=Townsville Daily Bulletin |date=4 November 1940}}</ref>
Trainer Frank McGrath senior (1866–1947) a former jockey who progressed from training ponies at [[Canterbury, New South Wales|Canterbury]] to master trainer of multiple classic winners in the champions [[Peter Pan (Australian horse)|Peter Pan]], [[Amounis]] and [[Prince Foote]] from [[Randwick Racecourse]] his stables were located at 158 Doncaster Ave [[Kensington, New South Wales|Kensington]].<ref>{{cite book |title=McGrath Francis 1866–1947 |chapter=Francis McGrath (1866–1947) |chapter-url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/mcgrath-francis-10959 |website=Australian Dictionary of Biography |publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University |access-date=4 February 2019}}</ref>
Beau Vite's racing record: 60 starts for 31 wins, 9 seconds, 5 thirds.<ref>{{cite web |title=Beau Vite Career Race Starts |url=http://www.racehorsetalk.com.au/racing-talk/race-records-of-champion-racehorses/175/#msg_480581 |website=www.racehorsetalk.com.au |publisher=Racehorsetalk |access-date=22 March 2019 |archive-date=24 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024053229/http://www.racehorsetalk.com.au/racing-talk/race-records-of-champion-racehorses/175/#msg_480581 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===1942 racebook===
<gallery>
File:1942 AJC All- Aged Plate P1.jpg|1942 Sydney Cup racebook front cover. File:1942 AJC Sydney Cup P2.jpg|1942 Sydney Cup showing Beau Vite last career start 3rd placed. File:1942 AJC Sydney Cup P3.jpg|1942 Sydney Cup racebook showing the winner, Veiled Threat. File:1942 AJC Sydney Cup P4.jpg|1942 Sydney Cup racebook.
</gallery>
==See also==
* [[Thoroughbred racing in New Zealand]]
== References == <!--- See [[Wikipedia:Footnotes]] on how to create references using<ref></ref> tags which will then appear here automatically --> {{Reflist}}
<!--- Categories ---> [[Category:1936 racehorse births]] [[Category:Auckland Cup winners]] [[Category:Cox Plate winners]] [[Category:New Zealand racehorses]] [[Category:Australian Racing Hall of Fame horses]] [[Category:New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame horses]]