Beau Vite

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Beau Vite was a brown New Zealand-bred Thoroughbred stallion, born in 1936, who became one of the era’s great stayers. He raced from ages two to five in New Zealand and Australia, on both wet and dry tracks, and had 60 starts for 31 wins, 9 seconds and 5 thirds, earning £26,680.

Sired by Beau Pere (GB) out of Dominant (NZ), Beau Vite was bred by J. Curran of Shannon and bought as a yearling by Ralph Stewart for 900 guineas. Dominant was owned and raced in New Zealand for three seasons. Beau Vite's major wins included the Cox Plate in 1940 and 1941, along with a long list of important races such as the Canterbury Stakes (1939), Metropolitan Handicap (1940), Hill Stakes (1940), Great Northern Derby (1940), Auckland Cup (1940), and other major victories in 1940–41.

In 1942 he retired to stud at St Aubins, Scone. His racing colours were red with yellow spots and a red cap. Stewart, a Queensland-born former Boer War soldier who later ran hotels in New Zealand, owned the horse, and the stable was trained by Frank McGrath Sr. Beau Vite’s legacy endures in racing history, earning him induction into both the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame and the Australian Racing Hall of Fame.