More Stakes Success for Rip Van Winkle 6YO Germanicus

Media Release - Saturday April 2

Enigmatic galloper Germanicus was back to his best when he produced an irresistible finish to take out the Listed Bramco Granite & Marble Flying Stakes (1400m) at Awapuni.

The Danica Guy-trained son of Rip Van Winkle, who finished sixth in the Gr.1 El Cheapo Cars WFA Classic (1600m) at Otaki at his last start back in February, appreciated the strong pace throughout the race and loomed into contention for rider Taiki Yanagida rounding the home turn.

Taiki Yanagida gets the best out of Germanicus to win the Listed Bramco Granite & Marble Flying Stakes (1400m) at Awapuni  Photo Credit: Race Images – Peter Rubery

A wall of horses stretched across the track at the 250m but Yanagida had Germanicus fully wound up as he headed the well-favoured Brando in the final 100m to take the win with Miss Cartier charging home late to snatch third from Belclare.

Sent out at odds of better than $34, Germanicus rewarded Guy’s faith in him after his wayward tendencies had seen him strike trouble in a number of his starts since his last victory in the Gr.3 Anniversary Handicap (1600m) back in January 2020.

“He always tries hard but is a horse that is always unlucky as he gets himself into awkward situations,” Guy said.

“There is so much relief to see him do that today.

Advertisement

“I’ve been trying to get him to the races lately but the tracks have been so wet. I really have to thank my owners as they have been so patient and trusted me.

“There was a question mark dropping him back in distance today, but he has been working enormous to be fair.

“He needs pace on in front to take some of the bad luck out of the equation and he got that today.”

The victory was the fifth for the six-year-old from just 28 starts and takes his stakes earnings to over $167,000. He is a son of Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) winner St Germaine, who also finished runner-up in the Gr.1 Levin Classic (1600m). – NZ Racing Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
No Everest for Sunshine in Paris - Retired to Stud
Disappointing news from Annabel and Rob Archibald on Tuesday with an announcement that the stable’s star sprinter Sunshine in Paris has sustained an injury in trackwork and will be  retired.
Commemorative Retired to Stud
Watching the progress of Godolphin horses as they start stepping our for their new trainers has been interesting to say the least and will get more so this weekend when we see Tom Kitten go around in the Group I MRC Memsie Stakes at Caulfield, but one horse we won’t be seeing again is Commemorative.
Narrow Miss for Hellbent Gelding in G2 Foxbridge
Lhasa proved he is more than a synthetic track specialist when he nearly caused an upset when finishing runner-up in Saturday’s Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa.
Sires With Winners - Tuesday August 26
Here is the full list of 28 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Spring Plans for El Vencedor
New Zealand’s top-rated performer El Vencedor will contest all three legs of the spring Triple Crown series.
Trial Winner for Captivant
Captivant’s early promise was on full display at today’s Waipa trials when Capital Express stormed to victory in Heat 4. The Paul Pertab-trained 2YO colt impressed early, showcasing the speed and class expected of his G1 Champagne Stakes-winning sire in a performance that marked him as one to watch.
Al Riffa Aiming Towards Melbourne Cup for Australian Bloodstock
The exceptional qualities of Coolmore shuttler Wootton Bassett (GB) are such that he can get fast juveniles and also high class older horses over a distance and we are set to see a taste of it this spring as media reports suggest Australian Bloodstock have purchased his top class 5YO stallion Al Riffa.
Was it that Unusual? Who is the Oldest?
There was a lot of attention in the media regarding the age of Australian Horse of the Year elect Via Sistina (IRE) when she returned to racing for a new campaign at Randwick last Saturday, but was it really that uncommon to see an eight year-old G1 winner?
Finding the Perfect Match for Your Mare
Now that the first foals of the season have hit the ground at farms across the country, breeders are finalising stallion bookings and searching for the perfect match for their mares.
Sires With Winners - Monday August 25
Here is the full list of 12 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.