Placing a horse to advantage in the modern world where there seems to be a million dollar race every second week is something an astute trainer can really work well for their owners and no trainer has done it better than Ciaron Maher with high class 6YO Gringotts (NZ), whose half-brother will be offered at Karaka Book 1 in 2026.
With a successful defence of his title in Saturday’s A$1 million The Illawarra Mercury Gong (1600m) at Kembla Grange, Kiwi-bred marvel Gringotts has now won five races worth $1 million or more within the space of barely a year.
The Per Incanto gelding’s back-to-back victories in The Gong sit alongside his dual triumphs in the A$3 million The Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick, plus the most prestigious victory of his career in the A$1 million Gr.1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill last March.
The Ciaron Maher-trained Gringotts has now had 25 starts for 12 wins, nine placings and more than A$6.1 million in prize-money.
Saturday’s second win in The Gong came courtesy of a daring ride from Nash Rawiller and a lion-hearted performance from Gringotts under 61kg.
Persistent rain throughout the afternoon sent the Kembla Grange track down to a Heavy8, and the majority of the field in The Gong came wide around the home turn in search of better ground.
But Rawiller saved ground and stayed closer to the inside, and Gringotts suddenly moved from midfield to be right in the firing line early in the run home.
Most of the action was down the outside of the straight, headed by second favourite Estadio Mestalla under 56kg, but Gringotts refused to be denied. He kept finding, kept lifting, and clawed his way in front to win by just under half a length.
“You’ve got to back your judgement,” Rawiller said. “But when they all went to the outside so quick, I thought, ‘Oh my god, I’ve done the wrong thing here.’
“But I was still confident that if I stayed patient, went through my gears and kept the horse building under me, that there’d be something there at the 100m. There really had to be.
“He’s a warrior. He’s such a good horse. I really loved that win. It was very thrilling.”
Maher was full of praise for Gringotts declaring the $2million Group II ATC The Ingham on December 13 was right on the radar for his next assignment.
"What a beauty. God, he's a good horse," Maher said.
"I think he is in career-best form. I know he's won a Ryder, but I reckon he is in better form this preparation.
"He was dominant last start (in the Big Dance) and he was quite dominant today and because we missed a couple of races early in the prep he is still on the up."
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. Miss Bluebell is an unraced 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, while the other full-sibling to Gringotts, Dan Vegas, was sold to Hong Kong.
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.
