By Heather Anderson
The margin in the end was only a head, but upwardly mobile dual Group 1 winner Gingernuts earned his third top-flight victory at the expense of recent G1 Tarzino Trophy hero Close Up and first as a 4-year-old at Hastings Saturday, landing the 1600-metre G1 Windsor Park Plate in thrilling fashion. Bet down to 90 cents on the dollar, the favourite proved gamest all the way to the line in a driving finish. Six-time Group 1 scorer and last year's victor Kawi was only 1 1/4 lengths back of the leading duo, with the consistent Group 2 winning mare Underthemoonlight (NZ) (El Hermano {NZ}) 1 1/2 lengths adrift in fourth.
“He's an exciting horse and he's still learning his trade,” rider Opie Bosson, who was winning his third Group 1 aboard the Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards trainee, told www.nzracing.co.nz. “I got in behind Kawi and he gave me a beautiful track into the race. I was a bit worried when he started gawking around and he only knuckled down when the other horse came at him. There's so much improvement left in him.”
The Te Akau Racing colourbearer settled in midfield in the wake of Kawi well off the fence early. Motoring four deep by the 600-metre mark, Gingernuts rallied even wider at the top of the lane, sweeping past that foe before and drawing even to Close Up. Inside the final quarter-mile the duo both let down strongly, with Gingernuts gaining the upper hand inside the last 25 meters to prevail.
A juvenile winner at second asking, Gingernuts began to hit his straps with a Benchmark 65 win third up as a 3-year-old at Te Teko Jan. 30 and upped his game with a victory in the G2 Avondale Guineas at Ellerslie Feb. 18. The G1 New Zealand Derby went his way by a length on Mar. 4 and his run of good form continued with a popular victory across the Tasman in Rosehill's G1 Rosehill Guineas on Mar. 18. Covering extra real estate, Gingernuts could only manage fifth in Randwick's G1 Australian Derby behind another son of Iffraaj (GB), Jon Snow (NZ) on April Fool's Day, and was flying late to fill the same position three weeks back in the Tarzino Trophy.
The lanky chestnut, entered for the 2400-metre G1 Caulfield Cup on Oct. 21 and the 3200m G1 Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Nov. 7, has now gained favouritism for the third leg of the Hawke's Bay Triple Crown, the 2040m G1 Livamol Classic in two weeks' time.
“We [co-trainer Autridge and Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis] won't be making any decisions today and we'll sit down tomorrow and have a chat,” co trainer Richards said, regarding the immediate future of Gingernuts. “The horse still isn't 100% in the coat just yet. He's a staying type of horse and to win over a mile at weight-for-age as a 4-year-old is a great effort. There's a great team of owners behind this horse-it's good for racing and it's great to be part of it.”
Pedigree Notes…
Bred by Goodwood Stud Ltd., Gingernuts sold for NZ$5,000 at the NZB National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale before going the way of David Ellis for NZ$42,500 at the NZB Ready to Run Sale of 2YOs in November of 2015. He was Iffraaj's eighth Group 1 winner with his Derby win last campaign, who splits his time between Darley's British base at Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket and Haunui Farm in New Zealand, where he currently commands a fee of NZ$25,000. Gingernuts is also the third of four winners from his five-time winning dam Double Elle (NZ). His year younger winning full-brother Griffin (NZ) is also part of the Te Akau brigade. Double Elle's last reported foal is a yearling filly by Jakkalberry (Ire). His third dam, Windrift (NZ) (Sir Tristram {Ire}), is a half-sister to 1988 G1 Western Australian Oaks heroine Trappings (NZ) (Grosvenor {NZ}).
Click for the free Arion.co.nz catalogue-style pedigree.
Saturday, Hastings, New Zealand
WINDSOR PARK PLATE-G1, NZ$200,000, Hawkes Bay, 9-23, Open WFA, 1600mT, 1:40.15, Slow.
1–GINGERNUTS, 58.5, g, 4, by Iffraaj (GB)
1st Dam: Double Elle, by Generous (IRE)
2nd Dam: Timberland Lass, by Oregon (USA)
3rd Dam: Windrift, by Sir Tristram (IRE)
(NZ$5,000 Wlg 2014 NZB National Weanling, Broodmare &
Mixed Sale; NZ$42,500 2YO 2015 NZB Ready to Run Sale) O-Te
Akau Gingernuts (Mgr: D C Ellis); B-Goodwood Stud Ltd,
Central, NZ; T-S Autridge & J Richards; J-O P Bosson;
NZ$125,000. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Aus, 11-6-1-0,
A$1,152,909. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for
the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Close Up, 59.0, g, 8, Shinko King (IRE)–Regelle, by Exploding
Prospect (USA). O-Miss S A Hale, Noel & Alison Johnstone
Family Trust & R M Stent; B-Miss S A Hale, N W Johnstone & R
M Stent, Waikato, NZ; T-Ms S Hale; J-G L Cooksley; NZ$40,000.
3–Kawi, 59.0, g, 7, Savabeel (AUS)–Magic Time, by Volksraad
(GB). O-A A Baeyertz, J P Goodin, T Kemp, G A Macdonald, G H
Phillips, B R & S A Sharrock; B-Mrs C M & J P Goodin, Central,
NZ; T-S A Sharrock; J-J L Waddell; NZ$20,000.
Margins: 0.2 len, 1.5 len, 3.0 len. Odds: 1.90, 11.80, 5.10.
Also Ran: Underthemoonlight, Volkstok'n'barrell, Mime, Miss Wilson (AUS), Stolen Dance, Thee Auld Floozie, Sofia Rosa, Volpe Veloce (AUS), Coldplay, Aide Memoire, El Pescado.
Click for the Racing Post chart. NZ Racing Video.
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