Six of her wins were in Group 1 events and her total stake earnings, of more than $4 million, included the equivalent of $1.7m for the Japan Cup win and A$625,000 (now about $714,000) amassed in Australia.
De Gruchy bred several horses out of Horlicks, the most notable being the 2000 Melbourne Cup winner Brew, who was a son of champion sire Sir Tristram.
Nowadays De Gruchy’s main racing interests are in Australia, where he owns a 10% share in a horse called Waimarie. She also descends from Horlicks and has won five races from only 16 starts.
For years, De Gruchy has raced horses in shares with two close Feilding-based friends, Struan Jones and Cam McLeod.
The latter pair bred Trauma, who is by Time Test out of the Lord Ballina mare Ballinhand, and coaxed De Gruchy and others into taking out a racing share.
“I’m not really sure how much of a share I own,” De Gruchy said this week.
“We have been friends for a long time and are just having a lot of fun.”
Trauma, prepared by Whanganui trainer Kevin Myers, is a 5-year-old gelding but was having only his 11th race start when he stepped out in a Rating 65 race over 1200m at Hāwera.
Ridden by comeback jockey Sarah O’Malley, Trauma was lost for early speed and got back to a clear last soon after the start.
He looked a forlorn hope when four lengths behind the second-to-last horse approaching the home turn. But once O’Malley angled him to the outside, he unleashed a paralysing finish to sweep past his rivals and win by a length.
It was the horse’s second win following a maiden success over 1100m at Greymouth back in January.
Last Saturday’s win was especially significant for O’Malley as it was her first for the new season.
The 26-year-old has kicked home more than 170 winners in a career that has been interrupted by a series of injuries and the birth of her two children.
While De Gruchy has scaled down his thoroughbred breeding interests in recent years, he still has a couple of mares he is breeding from based at Wentwood Grange in Cambridge.
OOne of these is Alloro, an 8-year-old mare by Tavistock out of a granddaughter of Horlicks in the De Gruchy-bred-and-raced Baltika, who only had three starts from the Hastings stable of John Bary for a win and a second.
Alloro was sent to Sydney to be trained by Bjorn Baker but only had one start before breaking down.
“Bjorn thought a lot of her but unfortunately we never got to see her really perform on the racetrack,” De Gruchy said.
He is now breeding from Alloro, who left a Sword Of State colt that was sold at the Sydney sales last year.
She has since produced a weanling filly by Sword Of State that De Gruchy will retain and has been served again this year by Sword Of State.
“Sword Of State is a son of Snitzel and I think he is going to produce very good horses,” De Gruchy said.
Baltika died on Boxing Day 2020 but before she passed away, she produced Waimarie, by champion Australian sire Snitzel.
De Gruchy bred the filly and raced her as part of a syndicate.
She won five races from the Cranbourne stable of Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, the most recent over 1600m at Moonee Valley in April.
“The syndicate then wanted to sell her,” De Gruchy said.
He was against it but was outvoted and she was sold at the Sydney sales for A$400,000.
But De Gruchy was able retain a 10% share in the mare and she has now been transferred to the stable of Annabel and Rob Archibald.
“She finished second in a trial last week and is close to racing again,” De Gruchy added.
“She is only 5 so we live in hope that she will do something more this season.”
Awapuni track still not ready
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) advises that further assessment of the RACE Awapuni track is required before confirming a return to racing, following the completion of trials last Monday.
Eleven heats were conducted both against the rail and around the markers for maiden and open horses.
Following the trials, representatives from the Racing Integrity Board, NZTR, RACE Inc and the New Zealand Jockeys’ Association met to review the surface and consider rider feedback.
The collective view was that while the track continues to improve, it would still benefit from additional time. All parties agreed that another set of trials is needed to provide full confidence before moving towards a race day.
These trials are expected to be held in mid-to-late October, with an exact date confirmed as soon as possible.
Track consultant Liam O’Keeffe, who has continued to monitor conditions throughout the Return-to-Racing process, supported the approach.
“Following significant rainfall over the past week [107 millimetres in the past 10 days], the track presented as a heavy surface. Riders noted some kickback, and everyone agreed it would benefit from additional time to consolidate,” O’Keeffe said.
“It was pleasing to hear from senior riders that there was no slippage, but it will be important to run another set of trials under drier conditions to give the track a full and fair test.”
The race meeting originally scheduled at RACE Awapuni for Saturday, November 1 will be relocated. NZTR will work with appropriate parties to find an alternative date and venue, with details to be confirmed as soon as possible.
Damask Rose chasing Group 1 success
Damask Rose may have earned more than $2.2m in prizemoney, but a Group victory still eludes her and trainer Mark Walker is hoping to rectify that this weekend.
The 4-year-old daughter of Savabeel, part-owned by Hastings-based Kieran Pollard, had a lucrative three-year-old term, winning New Zealand’s two richest races, the $1.5m Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) and inaugural $3.5m NZB Kiwi (1500m), earning a tick over $2m for her connections in the space of a few weeks.
Further riches awaited her in Australia, having a guaranteed spot in next month’s A$10m Golden Eagle (1500m) at Randwick, courtesy of her NZB Kiwi win, but Group targets in Melbourne also became a priority.
Damask Rose ran fifth first-up in the Group 3 Cockram Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield in August before finishing seventh at the same venue in the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) last month.
Te Akau Racing assistant trainer Ben Gleeson was happy enough with those efforts and is confident of a big run when she returns to Caulfield this weekend to tackle the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m).
“She has got a really good profile third-up heading into the mile, so we have copied that from her programme at home,” Gleeson said.
“She was okay second-up. Her second-up form is not great, and we knew that. She made a long-sustained run on a very firm surface. She probably doesn’t appreciate it too firm and it was rock-hard that day. I would love for the track on Saturday to hold a Good-4, but she certainly gets a good chance.”
Gleeson was happy with her work on Tuesday morning and is excited to see her step out this weekend under jockey Jamie Melham.
Kieran Pollard is a 10% shareholder in the Te Akau Coming Up Roses Racing Partnership which owns Damask Rose.
Bonus races attached to The NZB Kiwi
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing has confirmed the final list of 10 New Zealand stakes races that will form part of the $1m Bonus Eligible Race Pool attached to The NZB Kiwi (1500m), the Southern Hemisphere’s richest 3-year-old race.
In addition to the $4 million stake of The NZB Kiwi (1500m), a further $1m will be distributed in bonuses to horses that win one of the designated lead-up races and go on to place in the top three of The NZB Kiwi, staged at Ellerslie on March 7, 2026.
The prizemoney distribution for the Bonus Pool will see $600,000 awarded to the winner, $250,000 to second place, and $150,000 to third place.
The winning bonus was first struck last year by Damask Rose, who claimed the 2025 $3.5m NZB Kiwi for Te Akau Racing after winning the $1.5m TAB Karaka Millions 3YO Classic (1600m). With the Bonus Pool in play, the winner of this season’s NZB Kiwi could take home up to $1.8m in total prizemoney.
2025-26 NZB Kiwi Bonus Eligible Races
- Group 2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) – October 27 at Te Rapa.
- Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) – November 8 at Riccarton Park.
- Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) – November 15 at Riccarton Park.
- Group 2 Auckland Guineas (1400m) – December 26 at Ellerslie.
- Group 2 Levin Classic (1400m) – January 3 at Trentham.
- Listed TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) – January 24 at Ellerslie.
- Group 3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m) – January 24 at Ellerslie.
- Group 1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) – February 7 at Te Rapa.
- Group 3 Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m) – February 21 at Ellerslie.
- Group 1 Manawatū Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) – run on March 29, 2025, at Trentham (won by La Dorada – Bonus Eligible).
