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Brilliant Berry ride gets Gringotts home in Big Dance

Ciaron Maher has produced the quinella in the feature race at Randwick on Melbourne Cup Day.

GRINGOTTS winning the Big Dance at Randwick in Australia.
GRINGOTTS winning the Big Dance at Randwick in Australia. Picture: Steve Hart

A confident ride by Tommy Berry has helped pull off a long-range plan with promising miler Gringotts, who has overcome an outside draw to post a resounding win in the $3 million Big Dance at Randwick.

The five-year-old qualified for the Melbourne Cup Day feature by taking out the Tamworth Cup in April and trainer Ciaron Maher has been single-minded in his goal to have Gringotts peaking for Tuesday's race.

A horror draw in barrier 23 of 24 put a spanner in the works, but Berry was able to utilise the horse's fitness by bouncing him out and positioning him one off the fence, banking on Gringott's class to do the rest.

"He was timed to perfection this horse," Berry said.

"He was a bit fresh with me last start and I said, 'can we put a little bit more work into him' and they got him here spot-on today.

"When he jumped so well, I just took luck out of the equation. I knew I was on the best horse in the race and rode him like that and he got the job done."

Gringotts ($5) powered to the front at the top of the straight and held off stablemate Vivy Air ($26) by three-quarters of a length with Suparazi ($14) the same margin away third.

Berry admitted he was nervous hitting the lead so early and feared his sequence of second placings in major races was set to continue.

"I hate being in front that far out, I was just trying to get him home," he said.

"We spoke about how many seconds I have had in big races over the last twelve months, so I just held my nerve and got the job done

"He is going to be better again next preparation."

Gringotts is set to chase more big prizemoney races in the coming months with Maher's Sydney foreman Johann Gerard-Dubord confirming both The Gong (1600m) at Kembla Grange and The Ingham (1600m) at Randwick in December are on the radar.

Longer-term, the Doncaster Mile could also loom as an autumn carnival goal.

But ticking off Gringott's Big Dance (1600m) goal on Tuesday was a fitting reward and continued Maher's fruitful spring, which has also included winning the Everest and Russell Balding Stakes with Bella Nipotina and the Caulfield Cup with Duke De Sessa.

Gerard-Dubord echoed Berry's sentiments that Gringott's class and fitness got him home.

"We had a bit of work to do early, but the horse was peaking, he was fit," Gerard-Dubord said.

"We thought he was the best horse in the race and Tommy rode him accordingly."


Racing and Sports

Randwick Tuesday, 05th November 2024

7f210y TURF GOOD
AUD $3,000,000

BIG DANCE (LR)

AUD $3,000,000
Age: 3yo and up Type: Qlty
7f210y TURF GOOD
FP Silk Horse, Age & Sex
Sire & Dam
Jockey
Trainer
SP
WT
1st 4. GRINGOTTS (NZ) 5yo G
PER INCANTO (USA) - MISS BLUEBELL (NZ)
TOMMY BERRY
CIARON MAHER
$5
58.5kg
A Kheir, J O'Neill, Deg Racing (Mgr: D Degenhardt), T Maddern, Bromfield Park P/L (Mgr: W Pearce), B Secatore, Mrs R Secatore, J Docherty, P Cook, B Nettlefold, J Simmons, Ms S Fitzgerald, A K Racing, Carty Racing, D Edmonds, S Lewin, Mamaray Racing, A Willoughby, C Secatore & D Meredith

Sales Information

2nd 17. VIVY AIR (AUS) 4yo M
HELLBENT (AUS) - HEAD OVER HEELS (AUS)
ANDREW ADKINS
CIARON MAHER
$26
53kg
Ciaron Maher Racing (Mgr: C Maher), A R E Investments (Mgr: P H Butts), Grand Parkview Stud (Mgr: Ms L C Timms), N A Greenhalgh, Mrs M T Greenhalgh, D N Dawson, M J Harvey, M L Simpson & N J Todd
3rd 8. SUPARAZI (AUS) 6yo G
SUPER ONE (AUS) - ARAZI BELLE (AUS)
TIM CLARK
BEN BRISBOURNE
$14
54kg
Affinity Thoroughbred Racing, Rhodes No.1 Syndicate. S McMillan, S J Clarke, G J Diamond, T Lucas, M Green, A G Shannon, B F McMillan, S M Liddell & D Kocev

Sales Information

4th 12. TAVI TIME (NZ) 5yo G
TAVISTOCK (NZ) - GUISEPPINA (NZ)
CHAD SCHOFIELD
KRIS LEES
$3.5
53kg

Sales Information

5th 11. DUCASSE (AUS) 4yo H
TRAPEZE ARTIST (AUS) - CUSTARD (AUS)
REGAN BAYLISS
MICHAEL FREEDMAN
$14
53kg

Sales Information

6th 7. REDSTONE WELL (IRE) 5yo G
COTAI GLORY (GB) - PINGIN RUA (IRE)
TOM SHERRY
ANNABEL NEASHAM & ROB ARCHIBALD
$21
55.5kg

Sales Information

7th 2. DETONATOR JACK (NZ) 6yo G
JAKKALBERRY (IRE) - RED DELICIOUS (NZ)
JASON COLLETT
CIARON MAHER
$16
59.5kg

Sales Information

8th 5. SKY LAB (AUS) 7yo G
REAL IMPACT (JPN) - GOLD MISSION (AUS)
ASHLEY MORGAN
PAUL PERRY
$21
58.5kg

Sales Information

9th 13. OVERRIDING (AUS) 5yo M
STAR TURN (AUS) - MY HUSSY (AUS)
JAY FORD
NATHAN DOYLE
$61
53kg

Sales Information

10th 1. HERE TO SHOCK (NZ) 7yo G
SHOCKING (AUS) - FRESCOES (AUS)
NASH RAWILLER
BEN, WILL & JD HAYES
$5
62kg

Sales Information

11th 14. CRANKY HARRY (AUS) 5yo G
SPILL THE BEANS (AUS) - HERE'S TO YA (AUS)
JAKE BAYLISS
MATTHEW DUNN
$41
53kg
12th 10. FLOATING (AUS) 6yo G
PUISSANCE DE LUNE (IRE) - GOUJON (AUS)
ZAC WADICK
MATTHEW SMITH
$26
53kg
13th 16. GREEN SHADOWS (AUS) 5yo G
MENARI (AUS) - NOTJUSTAPRETTYFACE (AUS)
ALYSHA COLLETT
G RYAN & S ALEXIOU
$101
53kg

Sales Information

14th 6. HEZASHOCKA (NZ) 7yo G
SHOCKING (AUS) - SHEZAKIWI (NZ)
DYLAN GIBBONS
MICK PRICE & MICHAEL KENT JNR
$71
58kg

Sales Information

15th 3. LION'S ROAR (NZ) 7yo G
CONTRIBUTER (IRE) - MINNALEO (NZ)
JOSH PARR
JOHN O'SHEA & TOM CHARLTON
$26
59kg

Sales Information

16th 20. MONEY FROM THE SKY (AUS) 6yo G
FRANKEL (GB) - WE CAN SAY IT NOW (AUS)
REECE JONES
SARA RYAN
$101
53kg

Sales Information

17th 18. PRINCE OF HELENA (AUS) 8yo G
SIDESTEP (AUS) - LADY OF HELENA (NZ)
JAKE DUFFY
CRAIG WEEDING
$101
53kg

Sales Information

18th 15. SNEAK PREVIEW (AUS) 9yo G
SMART MISSILE (AUS) - STAGE PERFORMER (AUS)
MATTHEW CAHILL
PETER NESTOR
$91
53kg
19th 9. TIME QUEST (GB) 5yo G
TIME TEST (GB) - RAINBOW'S EDGE (GB)
CHRISTIAN REITH
MATTHEW SMITH
$101
54kg

Sales Information

20th 19. ZOUATICA (AUS) 5yo G
ZOUSTAR (AUS) - AXIOMATIC (AUS)
MS MOLLY BOURKE
B JOSEPH & P & M JONES
$101
53kg

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