Australia: Gingernuts goes for fifth straight in Australian Derby
From Auckland, New Zealand, to Sydney, Australia, Gingernuts has been unbeatable since late January.
A gelding who managed one win in his first four starts, Gingernuts has won four consecutive races, a streak that will make him the favorite in Saturday’s Group 1 Australian Derby at Royal Randwick Racecourse.
The $1.52 million Australian Derby is one of four Group 1 races on Saturday’s program at Randwick. The card is led by the $2.29 million Doncaster Mile. The other Group 1 races are the $1.91 million T.J. Smith Stakes at six furlongs and the $764,700 Inglis Sires’ Stakes for 2-year-olds at seven furlongs.
Gingernuts, a New Zealand-bred by Iffraaj, won his Australian debut in the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas at 1 1/4 miles on March 18. Gingernuts finished 2 1/4 lengths clear of Inference, another leading contender in the Australian Derby at 1 1/2 miles.
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Inference won the Randwick Guineas at a mile on March 4, his first start in a Group 1 since a third behind Prized Icon in the Group 1 Victorian Derby at Flemington last October. Prized Icon is part of Saturday’s field.
Chautauqua starts in the T.J. Smith Stakes after chasing leading horses in Australia in the last month. Chautauqua was second to Le Romain in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes at Randwick on March 4 and third behind Winx and Le Romain in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill Gardens on March 18. Le Romain is the early favorite to win the Doncaster Mile. Winx has won 16 consecutive races.
Chautauqua is part of a field of 15 that includes Astern, who was a Group 1 winner last September but has not started since finishing second in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes last October.
Frolic, second in the Group 1 Golden Slipper at Rosehill Gardens on March 18, will be favored to win for the third time in her last four starts in the $764,700 Inglis Sires’ Stakes.
Frolic, by Husson, is one of two fillies in the main body of the field of 16. Seven ran in the Golden Slipper, including Tulip and Menari, who were second and fourth in the $2.7 million race. Frolic is trained by Michael Freedman, who is relocating his stable to Hong Kong this spring.
Frolic won the Group 2 Reisling Stakes at six furlongs at Randwick on March 4.
The Inglis Sires’ field includes the filly One More Honey, who won the Group 2 Embrace Stakes at Randwick on Feb. 25; Gunnison, unbeaten in two starts; and the group stakes winners Diamond Tathagata, Single Bullet, Sirconni, Summer Passage, The Mission, Trapeze Artist, and Veranillo.