Iffraaj gelding Gingernuts has emerged as the latest racetrack star for Karaka’s perennial leading buyers Te Akau Racing with his last-to-first win in Saturday’s G2 Avondale Guineas at Ellerslie.
Gingernuts earned more than his purchase price when racing at stakes level for the first time in his six-start career.
Now the winner of three of his six starts and more than $71,000 in prizemoney for the Te Akau Gingernuts Syndicate, Gingernuts is now likely to contest next month’s $1 million G1 Vodafone New Zealand Derby (2400m).
“David Ellis didn’t have pay a lot for him at the Ready to Run Sale, and that just goes to show that good horses come in all shapes and sizes,” co-trainer Jamie Richards said. “That was a serious win.”Ellis, who recently clinched his 12th straight leading buyer title at the National Yearling Sales Series, was delighted with the result.
“What a thrill,” he said. “We were delighted to be able to buy this horse for less than $50,000 at the Ready to Run Sale, and he’s raced by a lot of good people.“He’ll proceed to the New Zealand Derby, and on that win he’d have to be a great chance.”
Gingernuts (Iffraaj x Double Elle) was bred by Goodwood Stud, who offered him as a weanling at the 2014 National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale where he sold to Phill Cataldo Bloodstock for $5000.He returned to Karaka in Stainley Park’s draft at the Ready to Run Sale 18 months later, selling for $42,500.
• OUR KING SWAY, who cost just $5200 as a weanling at Karaka, won the G3 Taranaki Cup on Saturday to take his career earnings past $100,000.
The Shinko King gelding, trained and part-owned by Glenn Old in Matamata, came from last with a sustained move around the outside of the field. He faced stiff resistance in the straight, but with Anna Jones in the saddle he ground his way to victory by a long neck.Bred by Mrs P J Lewis & C P Tau, Our King Sway was offered by Century Lodge at the 2011 National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale where Old purchased him for $5,200.
Our King Sway has now had 26 starts for four wins, eight placings and $104,740endor Century Lodge• WELL bred Pins filly Residential, a graduate of the 2015 Premier Sale, picked up her second consecutive stakes win when she romped to victory in Saturday’s Listed Southland Guineas at Ascot Park.
Two weeks ago Residential won the Listed Dunedin Guineas at Wingatui, edging out her stablemate Starvoia by a nose.The pair went to battle again on Saturday and this time Residential’s victory was much more clear-cut. She streaked away down the home straight, winning by four lengths.
A daughter of the stakes-winning mare Metropolitan (Elusive City), Residential was bred by Waikato Stud who offered her at the 2015 Premier Sale. She fell short of her $60,000 reserve.Residential has now had 10 starts for four wins and a placing, earning prizemoney of $89,750.
Waikato Stud also offered a half-sibling at Karaka 2017, with the O’Reilly colt selling to Cambridge’s Ohukia Lodge for $120,000 in the Premier session.• PENTIRE filly Sacred Rhythm won Saturday’s Listed Bob Sharrock Memorial Oaks Prelude at New Plymouth, becoming the latest in a long line of black-type performers to come out of the Karaka sale ring and race in the colours of Raffles Racing.
That list is headed by G1 winners such as Sacred Falls (O’Reilly), Rock Diva (Lucky Unicorn) and Sacred Elixir (Pour Moi), all trained for at least some of their career by Tony Pike.Sacred Rhythm also comes from Pike’s Cambridge stable, and after Saturday’s win – her second from three career starts – Pike is considering a shot at either the New Zealand Oaks in March or the Queensland Oaks in June.
Sacred Rhythm (Pentire x Bluegrass) was bred by Rich Hill Stud, who offered her at the 2015 Premier Sale where she was bought by Raffles Racing and Mulcaster Bloodstock for $85,000.She has already earned back almost half that amount from just three starts.
