If you're worried about the time between runs for Gingernuts in Sundays $250,000 Livamol Classic, dont include co-trainer Stephen Autridge in your team.
Four weeks means nothing to the Autridge/Richards Te Akau partnership. If Gingernuts is beaten it wont because hes not ready for a weight-for-age race of this calibre.
Did you see the way he quickened up in his gallop between races at Matamata on Saturday, said Autridge excitedly yesterday.
Opie [Bosson] couldnt believe it. Bosson barely had to move on Gingernuts to get him to put a space on stablemate and race rival Chance To Dance. That was not totally indicative because Chance To Dance is an older, lazier trackworker, but Bosson had plenty of horse left under him at the completion of the gallop. He could have gone significantly faster.
He came home in 35 and the racehorses on the day were coming home in 36s, says Autridge.
Gingernuts has never been a gross horse who needs racing to get him fit.
Hes a horse that eats nicely and just goes about his work. He doesnt get fat.
The TAB had Gingernuts at $1.80 hot favourite yesterday and you could not sensibly expect more.
Volkstoknbarrell and Chance to Dance are both on $7 and you go out to $12 to Nymph Monte.
Expect a real run from Volkstoknbarrell, particularly as the likelihood is the track will be close to perfect.
Yesterday it was officially rated a dead 4 and with fair weather forecast little should change.
Donna Logan and training partner Chris Gibbs had been hoping for a decent surface so the million dollar earner can attempt to put his Group 1 form back together.
Irish-bred Chance To Dance showed he should not be underrated when he came from the dead to win at Counties last start.