Gringotts ready for another lucrative season
Trainer Ciaron Maher was delighted with the trial performance of Group One winner Gringotts (NZ) (Per Incanto) at Gosford on Wednesday.
Gringotts, the A$6.4m earner, is on a path to chase a third win in the A$3 million Listed Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick on the first Tuesday in November and he charged through the line when second in an 800m trial.
“He’s a pretty genuine horse and I liked the way he bridled up under Louise (Day,” Maher told Racenet.
“There’s nowhere for him to hide with the races we’ve got programmed for him.
“He’s going to have to race those pretty good mares throughout but he looks to have come back well and that’s first and foremost.
“He’ll trial again then resume in the Winx Stakes (Gr.1, 1400m).
“We’ll see how he goes in the first couple of runs but the King Charles (A$5 million Gr.1, 1600m) and the Big Dance are the races in our sights.”
Gringotts was bred by Totara Park Stud and is by Little Avondale Stud’s outstanding sire Per Incanto out of the Savabeel mare Miss Bluebell (NZ).
Herself unraced, Miss Bluebell is a daughter of Operavega (NZ), whose half-sister Vegas Showgirl (NZ) was the dam of the legendary Winx.
Miss Bluebell is the dam of two stakes performers from three foals to race. The other is Millefiori (NZ) (Iffraaj), who has won seven races for Te Akau Racing and placed in the Listed Great Easter Stakes, while the other full-sibling to Gringotts, Dan Vegas, was sold to Hong Kong where he is known as Wave Garden (NZ) (Per Incanto).
Gringotts was offered by Archer Park in Book 1 of Karaka 2021, where Kasa Bloodstock bought him for $100,000. He was re-offered at the Ready to Run Sale later that year, but failed to meet his $450,000 reserve. He was subsequently sold privately after winning a trial at Waipa for Simon and Katrina Alexander.
The Maher stable will also be represented in early-season Group One contests by fellow Group One winning son of Per Incanto, Jimmysstar (NZ) (Per Incanto).
“Jimmy is heading towards the Memsie (Gr.1, 1400m) on August 29,” Maher said of the six-year-old who has netted connections $10.47 million to date.
“He’s at the beach and in good order. He’ll trial early next month.”
Meanwhile, Trelawney-stud bred marvel Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) is set to campaign as a nine-year-old, with the four-time Group One winner looking to add to her A$12,517,185 in earnings.
“She’s in pre-training and carries plenty of fitness from Queensland into the spring,” Maher said.
“I’m looking at the Feehan Stakes (Gr.2, 1600m) for her to start off in.
“She’s had good luck in that race previously, I know it’s at Caulfield this year but that could be where we start and from there maybe the King Charles and Empire Rose (Gr.1, 1600m).” - NZ Racing Desk
Hello Youmzain 2YO Wins $100,000 Super Maiden
A full brother to progressive Chris Waller trained three year-old Hello Captain (NZ) (Hell0 Youmzain), talented juvenile Persian Wonder (NZ) (Hello Youmzain) was Group placed during the autumn and returned from a spell to break the ice at Canterbury on Wednesday.
Trained by David Payne, Persian Wonder was tested in elite company in his last campaign finishing fourth in the Group III ATC Pago Pago to Warwoven (Sword Of State) and second in the Group III ATC Baillieu to Southend (Palace Pier).
Dropped back in class with two recent trials to tune him up, Persian Wonder was favourite for the $100,000 super maiden over 1200m and given a positive ride by Zac Lloyd was too good.
Given a good shake up at the furlong to chase down the leader, Persian Wonder warmed to the task and went on to win by half a length.
“Class prevailed, but I'm actually quite surprised how well he’s done in his previous preparation, considering he's still very immature,” said Zac Lloyd.
“So that's obviously not the way to ride him, but I just thought I'd give him every chance to at least tough it out and that he did.
“I knew he was going to keep responding and once he got a couple of reminders then he really stretched out went on with the job.”
Bred and sold by Cambridge Stud, Persian Wonder was a $160,000 purchase for his trainer and has won over $140,000 with a win and two placings from seven starts.
Persian Wonder is a three-quarter brother to UK based stakes-winner Never Back Down and is the fifth winner from five foals to race from Steer the Stars (IRE), a winning half-sister by Pivotal to stakes-winners Consort and Her World.
Cambridge Stud sold a Farnan yearling filly from Steer the Stars at Karaka Book 1 this year for $160,000 to Shijiazhuang Hongtao Horse Breeding.
Persian Wonder and his older brother Hello Captain look to be bright prospects for Cambridge Stud’s young Kodiac stallion Hello Youmzain (Fr), who stands at a fee of $20,000 this spring. - NZ Racing Desk
New Zealand-bred Cosmic Crusader Headlines Bletchingly
Perth G1 winner Cosmic Crusader is set to have eight rivals for Victoria’s final stakes race for the season in the G3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield this Saturday.
The Northerly Stakes winner at Ascot last December drew barrier one in the field of nine for Saturday’s $200,000 sprint, which will be his Victorian debut after owner/breeder Bob Peters transferred the rising six-year-old from his WA trainer Michael Grantham to Andrea Leek’s stables at Pakenham.
Despite being best suited beyond 1200 metres, Cosmic Crusader, who is unbeaten in three runs on slow tracks, has been marked as the early favourite for the race.
He is likely to progress from this race to the G2 Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield next month and then go into the G1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) over the same course third-up. All going well, he could end up in the Cox Plate.
His main opposition on Saturday may come from the 2024 Bletchingly winner Recommendation or from Grahame Begg’s pair of mares in Miraval Rose and Samangu.
It is worth noting that Bridal Waltz led home a trifecta of mares in the race 12 months ago.
Cosmic Crusader is by Maurice out of the Street Sense mare Cosmic Storm, whose seven wins included the Group Three La Trice Classic (1800m) and three Listed races. Cosmic Storm is a half-sister to three stakes winners including the Gr.1 Cantala Stakes (1600m) winner Superstorm.
While in New Zealand, Cosmic Storm was served by Windsor Park Stud stallion Charm Spirit. The resulting filly foal was named Cosmic Spirit and is also trained by Grantham. She has had three starts for two wins and a third. - NZ Racing Desk
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