Gingernuts wins New Zealand Derby at Ellerslie. Photo / Trish Dunell
By Michael Guerin
New Zealand racing's cult hero Gingernuts might take the path less travelled to the race of his life.
Because co-trainer Stephen Autridge believes the surprise package of the New Zealand racing season doesn't need to take on Australia's best in the lead-up to the $3.1million Caulfield Cup.
Autridge, training partner Jamie Richards and Te Akau boss David Ellis have yet to decide whether Gingernuts will cross the Tasman to contest the usual Australian weight-for-age lead-ups to the Caulfield classic on October 21, but Autridge says he is leaning toward staying local.
"We are looking at both scenarios but I'd be happy to stay here and contest the last two legs of the triple crown at Hastings," said Autridge.
"Aussie is still a possibility, depending on who is racing there and how our horse is going, but sometimes it is easier to prepare them from home.
"So one plan, the one I favour the most at the moment, would be two trials here then straight to the 1600m at Hastings followed by the 2040m there."
The first of those, the Windsor Park Plate is on September 23 while the Livamol Classic is on October 7, providing the ideal two week gap before the Caulfield Cup.
"We would miss the first one (1400m) because that might be too sharp for him but the other two could be an ideal pathway to the Caulfield Cup and we know he won't mind a bit of rain if that happens to hang around.
"But I am a great believer you can do things more your own way at home and if he could win one or two group ones here before we head to Melbourne that would be a great result."
The Te Akau team have studied the preparations of Caulfield Cup winners from the last decade to try and find a winning recipe but Autridge says that data is skewed by the overseas raiders who are now such a huge factor in the Melbourne spring.
"It is hard to work out what has worked recently when you have the Europeans and even a Japanese horse (Admire Rakti) winning in recent years.
"You look at a mare like Jameka, who won it last season, and she had the old Bart Cummings formula of plenty of kilometres in her legs before the Cups.
"But I am not sure Gingernuts is that sort of horse and two races and two trials might be enough for him."
Jameka had four races (1400m, 1600m and two 2000ms) as well as a 990m trial before she won last year's Caulfield Cup.
Autridge has just returned from an overseas holiday, on which one of the highlights was seeing all-time great Frankel in the flesh, and was pleasantly surprised by the Gingernuts he returned home to.
"He had about six weeks out after Sydney and I reckon he has put on 40kgs," he explains.
"Sure, some of that will come off when he gets closer to racing but I reckon his new racing weight will be around 500kgs, at least 20kgs more than last season.
"He is definitely bigger and stronger."
Like many of the country's bigger stables Te Akau have powered down their domestic racing team for the winter but they will roar back into life at the Te Teko trials on August 1.
"That is our usual kickoff date and last year we took about 30 to that trials meeting.
This year, at this stage, we are aiming to have 46 trialling that day."
Gingernuts's next major win could come before he even steps out on raceday, with his dramatic late summer exploits seeing him nominated for both three-year-old and stayer of the year at the Horse of the Year awards, where he must also be one of the favourites for the overall title.
Nominees for the key categories at the Horse of the Year awards, to be held at the Langham Hotel in Auckland in September 10, are:
Champion two-year-old: Gold Fever, Melody Belle, Summer Passage.
Champion three-year-old: Bonneval, Gingernuts, Jon Snow, La Diosa, Ugo Foscolo.
Champion sprinter (up to 1500m): Kawi, Saracino, Signify, Start Wondering.
Champion middle distance (1501m-2100m): Kawi, Thee Auld Floozie, Volkstok'n'barrell, Willie Cazals.
Champion stayer (2101m and further): Bonneval, Chenille, Chocante, Gingernuts, Jacksstar, Jon Snow, Lizzie L'Amour.