When others shift wide, Nash Rawiller often chooses the road less travelled — and he again proved why he’s one of racing’s elite with a bold inside rails ride on Gringotts in The Gong at Kembla Grange.
With the track steadily deteriorating under persistent rain, the vast majority of riders were angling several horses off the fence to find any improvement in the straight.
Rawiller, however, had walked the surface repeatedly and trusted what he saw, keeping Gringotts glued to the inside.
“If I wasn’t confident, I wouldn’t have done it,” Rawiller said.
“You’ve got to back your judgement.
“I’ve got to be honest. I was worried at the hundred (metres). I thought, geez, I haven’t put them away. But I hadn’t really gone for him either.”
When Rawiller pushed the button, Gringotts ($2.45 fav) surged once more, edging out Estadio Mestalla ($5.50) to claim his second consecutive Gong (1600m) win, while New Endeavour ($16) closed off well into third.
The triumph extended a remarkable spring campaign that already included wins in the Big Dance (1600m) and a Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m), leaving trainer Ciaron Maher convinced the gelding is peaking.
“What a beauty. God, he’s a good horse,” Maher said.
“I think he is in career-best form. I know he’s won a Ryder, but I reckon he is in better form this preparation.
“He was dominant last start (in the Big Dance) and he was quite dominant today and because we missed a couple of races early in the prep he is still on the up.”
Maher conceded he was surprised when Rawiller outlined his intent to remain on the inside despite the track pattern — but Rawiller’s unconventional genius has delivered more than once.
His daring outside-rail heroics on Think It Over in the 2022 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) remain the defining example.
“He said he walked the track four times, and he was keen to stay in. I was like, ‘righto’,” Maher said.
“You have to (back him). He’s walked it four times, I haven’t walked it once.
“He had a lot of faith in the horse. I was keen for Nash to stick with him and he’s just a beauty. He puts himself on speed, he makes his own luck.
“He is just a trainer-owner dream horse to have.”
With more than $6 million now banked, Gringotts will next target the upcoming The Ingham (1600m) at Randwick.
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