Craig Grylls made the most of his chances on Saturday before the start of a lengthy suspension when he produced a fine display aboard Nothing Trivial to win the Thames Cup.
The 24-year-old showed poise and patience to claim the Coastwood Homes Lockwood-sponsored event on Saturday on the eve of starting a ban for causing interference in the Gr.2 Royal Stakes at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day.
Grylls gave Nothing Trivial a cosy run three back on the fence and when the field fanned across the track on straightening he brought the five-year-old between runners with a well-timed finish to beat It’s Got To Be You and Keepher Close.
“He travelled well on the fence and the gap came just when I needed it and it was great,” Grylls said.Trained by Wayne Hillis, Nothing Trivial had finished runner-up in the Gr.3 Counties Cup four runs back and was also a close seventh in the Gr.3 Waikato Gold Cup before filling a similar position in a Rating 85 event at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.
He has now won five times for his breeder-owner and long-standing stable client Emma Evans.Grylls completed a clean sweep of the main events on the Thames card aboard pick-up ride Elusive Gold in the Pak N’ Save Sprint.
With original rider Rory Hutchings stood down with a foot injury, Grylls proved a grand substitute and tracked the leader and favourite Onlyarose to the bend. When she rolled off the fence on the turn he drove the gelding through for a decisive victory.“That all worked out perfectly and he won really well,” Grylls said.
