G1 Rosehill Guineas winner Gingernuts (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) will be aimed towards a second trip across the Tasman Sea with the G1 Caulfield Cup as his Spring Carnival aim.
The New Zealand-trained gelding, who landed the G1 New Zealand Derby at Ellerslie prior to his successful Australian sortie, has recently returned from a spell at his owner's Te Akau Stud and is now back at the Matamata stable of Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards.
“I don't think I've seen a horse improve as much as he did,” Autridge told nzracing.com. “He was battling away at the easier race meetings, Stratford and Te Teko, but as soon as we stepped him up over ground he found his niche and his confidence grew with it.
“He's a horse that won the Avondale Guineas, our Derby and the Rosehill Guineas and wasn't under any stress to win them so we wouldn't know what we've really got next season until we step him up against the best older horses.”
The 3-year-old's co-trainer added, “He's put on 40 kilos with his spell at Te Akau Stud and since he came back into work in May he's been bouncing around like a 2-year-old. We're rapt with the way he's going and the way he looks–he has certainly improved.”
Autridge said that Gingernuts is likely to be seen in the first of two barrier trials beforehe resumes racing on August 1 at Te Teko.
“We're thinking he could run on the last two days of the Hawke's Bay Carnival and then go for the Caulfield Cup,” he said. “But at the same time we are at the stage of looking through Melbourne programs and we'll take into account the path that recent Caulfield Cup winners have taken.”
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