Talented New Zealand-bred gelding Gringotts(NZ) (Per Incanto) delivered a big payday for his connections with victory in Tuesday’s A$3 million Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick.
The lucrative race was the eighth win of a 16-start career for Gringotts, who has placed on another seven occasions. He has now banked A$2.48 million for an ownership syndicate headed by Ozzie Kheir and John O’Neill.
A creditable second placegetter in the Gr.3 Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) and the A$1.5 million Alan Brown Stakes (1400m) in his two lead-up runs, Gringotts was sent out as one of the favourites in a highly competitive third edition of the Big Dance.
A horror draw of 19 in a 20-horse field added to the challenge, but jockey Tommy Berry pushed forward and was able to move across to the rail and settle in second behind runaway leader Zouatica.
Gringotts dragged the field up behind that tiring front-runner coming up to the turn, and then he took command in the straight.
Gringotts kicked more than two lengths clear with 200m remaining, and the five-year-old had more than enough up his sleeve to repel the late-finishing Vivy Air and Suparazi and win by three-quarters of a length.
“I hate being in front that far out,” Berry admitted. “We’ve spoken about how many seconds I've had in big races over the last 12 months, but I just held my nerve and just got him to get the job done. It’s a nice feeling.
“He's going to be better again next preparation. He's still learning his craft. Last start he wanted to go a little bit keen, but they put a bit more work into him this time and had him primed for the day.
“It's nice to get one for this team and this ownership group, Ozzie and everyone else that's involved there. They're great supporters of mine.”
Gringotts is trained by Ciaron Maher, who was represented at Randwick on Tuesday by Johan Gerard-Dubord.
“That's a huge, huge effort,” he said. “Obviously the barrier was always going to be a concern, but we were very confident in where he was going.
“Tommy was happy to do a bit of work early. He travelled well and then kicked, and he was just too good for them. Great to get a win for those owners. Ozzie is a great supporter, and there are some very good people in the horse.”
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. Herself unraced, Miss Bluebell is a daughter of Operavega, whose half-sister Vegas Showgirl 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, who has won seven races for Te Akau Racing and placed in the Listed Great Easter Stakes (1400m).
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. – NZ Racing Desk.
