Group One Glory for Gringotts (NZ) in George Ryder

Gringotts (NZ) (Per Incanto) became the fifth Ready to Run Sale graduate to win a Group One in Australia this season when he triumphed in a three-way photo finish to the A$1m George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

Originally bought for $100,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2021, Gringotts was passed in at the Ready to Run Sale later that year. He has now joined a Ready to Run Sale Group One club that also features this season’s stars Antino (NZ) (Redwood), Ceolwulf (NZ) (Tavistock), Feroce (NZ) (Super Seth) and Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars).

Gringotts has now had 20 starts for 10 wins, eight placings and A$3.67m in prize-money for an ownership group headed by Ozzie Kheir and John O’Neill.

The Ciaron Maher-trained Gringotts had never raced at Group One level before Saturday’s George Ryder, but he had shown enormous promise with his nine previous wins including the A$3m The Big Dance (1600m) and A$1m The Gong (1600m). He had also placed in this season’s Group Three Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m), A$1.5m Alan Brown Stakes (1400m) and Group Three Liverpool City Cup (1300m).

Gringotts brought that star quality to the biggest of stages on Saturday, collaring the front-running Royal Patronage (Wootton Bassett) early in the run home and going for gold. Multiple Group One winners Ceolwulf and Fangirl (Sebring) charged at him in the final 150 metres, but Gringotts stood tall and held them out by a nose.

“He fought hard for this win today,” Berry said. “Ciaron said to me in the mounting yard, ‘I know the Doncaster (Group One, 1600m) is our main aim, but I couldn’t have him any better for today.’ He turned up and he’s just a warhorse. He knows where the line is.”

Maher was pleased to see Gringotts fulfil his obvious potential.

“Ozzie and heaps of the owners are here today,” he said. “They just continually find these horses. Him and Jimmystar (NZ) (Per Incanto), they come into the stable about the same time, by the same stallion, and they’ve both won a Group One at about a similar time. Yeah, rapt for the team, they've done a great job.”

The 2025 edition of the world-leading Ready to Run Sale will be held at Karaka on November 13 and 14.