Champion trainer Ciaron Maher prepared the Big Dance trifecta as Gringotts (NZ) (Per Incanto) showed there is no substitute for sheer class with his second successive win in the $3 million feature race at Royal Randwick on Tuesday.
Gringotts made light of his 62kg impost under a brave but brilliant Nash Rawiller ride to beat Vivy Air in a repeat of the stable exacta from 12 months ago.
But Maher, who was at Flemington for the Melbourne Cup, went one better with a memorable 1-2-3 podium finish for the stable as early leader Lugh held on for the minor placing.
“We tried to show off last year with the first two, but first three, all credit to the team,” said Maher’s stable representative Johann Gerard-Dubord.
“It’s a real team effort, to get all three peaking today and running as well as they did.
“This is a great day today, a lot of prizemoney, the racing in Sydney is great and it’s good to get the job done.”
Gringotts, the only Group One winner in the field, was backed into $3 favouritism and was burst between rival runners to sprint clear and win by a widening one-and-a-quarter lengths, relegating a game Vivy Air ($16) to another Big Dance second placings with Lugh ($31) nearly a length away third.
But it was Rawiller’s ride on Gringotts that was the difference between winning and losing.
Rawiller went for the same run as Adam Hyeronimus attempted on main rival Headley Grange ($5) near the 250m.
But there was only room for one and Gringotts shouldered Headley Grange aside as he sprinted through the gap.
“I don’t think I beat him (Hyeronimus) to it, he saw me coming and tried to do his best to hold his line,” Rawiller said.
“But to my bloke’s credit with the big weight he was full of running then. I was mindful of how I rode him the other day, contain energy the whole way and he can be quite explosive, and he was. You can tell he’s a serious horse, when I let him rip he was quite exciting.
“He had the feel of a really good horse, he’s been terrifically placed off a setback earlier in the preparation.
“This is a lovely race for a horse like him, carrying 62kg, $3 million you’ve got to go a long way to find that sort of prizemoney and I’m just thrilled to be a part of it.”
Gringotts, who improved his record to 11 wins from 24 starts and took his career earnings over the $5.5 million prizemoney barrier, came out of the Big Dance to win The Gong at Kembla Grange last year but is unlikely to follow a similar route this spring.
But Gerard-Dubord said Gringotts will most likely be given his chance to defend his title in the Gr.1 George Ryder Stakes next autumn.
Vivy Air and Lugh are likely to back up in the Listed $2 million Five Diamonds (1800m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
“If they come through this race well, then they are every chance to go to the Five Diamonds,” Gerard-Dubord said.
“Vivy Air was tough. She was good again late and she is very honest. Lugh, it was his biggest test he had to face, he went forward, did a bit of work and fought hard to the finish.”
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) (Stravinsky), whose half-sister Vegas Showgirl (NZ) (Al Akbar) was the dam of the legendary Winx (Street Cry).
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 (1400m), 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.