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).”
