Co-trainer Jamie Richards can’t find any fault with Gingernuts ahead of a third Group 1 challenge at Randwick on Saturday.
With two down and one to go, the New Zealand Derby and Rosehill Guineas winner will be at the top of his game for the $A2 million G1 Australian Derby.
“Everything has gone according to plan and the horse is super. He did a little bit of work on Saturday morning and this morning he worked over 1200 metres on the course proper at Randwick with one of Gai Waterhouse’s horses,” Richards said.
“It gave him a good look around and he did all that was expected of him. He’s not a big, strapping colt who needs a lot of work – he’s more of an athletic type.”
Gingernuts was dominant in the New Zealand Derby on good ground at Ellerslie before he coasted away with the Rosehill Guineas on heavy footing.
“The track on Saturday isn’t going to worry us at all,” said Richards, who trains the son of Iffraaj with Stephen Autridge.
“They might think he goes better on soft ground here, but he can go on anything.”
The Randwick track had improved from a Heavy 8 on Monday into the soft range by Tuesday morning, but showers are predicted in the area on Thursday.
Richards is more than familiar with Gingernuts’ Derby rivals and he remains bullish about their three-year-old’s prospects of another G1 trophy.
“I thought Jon Snow was quite impressive last Saturday and he looks like he has improved and Prized Icon also ran very well and he will go in a very fit horse,” Richards said.
“But our horse has been racing very well all the way through against good opposition and I couldn’t be any happier with him.”
Gingernuts, who will face 12 rivals on Saturday, is booked on a Monday flight home to New Zealand.
“He’ll need a break and we’d like to set him for Melbourne in the spring,” Richards said.
– racing.com
