The 2017 New Zealand Derby was a horse race which took place at Ellerslie Racecourse on Saturday 4 March 2017. It was the 142nd running of the New Zealand Derby, and it was won by Gingernuts. [1]
Sold for $5,000 as a weanling and $42,500 as a two-year-old, [2] Gingernuts made a low-key start to his career with two wins in his first five starts – mostly in minor midweek company. [3]
The son of Iffraaj was not even nominated for the Derby until 21 February. [4] But everything changed in the Avondale Guineas, a Group Two race two weeks before the Derby. Gingernuts was a 26-to-one longshot in the $100,000 race and dropped back to a distant last after breaking slowly from the starting gate, but he produced a remarkable finishing burst to win by a length and a quarter. [5]
The Guineas win earned Gingernuts second-favouritism in the Derby, in which he again produced a formidable finish down the home straight to beat the Australian-trained Rising Red by a length. The win sparked huge celebrations among an ownership syndicate of more than 30 people, most wearing matching orange 'G-Nuts' caps. [6]
It was the first New Zealand Derby win for leading New Zealand syndicators Te Akau Racing, as well as for trainers Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards. Autridge was the favourite to win the race as a jockey in 1981 aboard the undefeated Altitude, who suffered a catastrophic and fatal haemorrhage. [1]
It was the second Derby win for champion jockey Opie Bosson, who won the race in 2015 aboard Mongolian Khan.
| Margin | Horse | Jockey | Trainer(s) | Odds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gingernuts | Opie Bosson | Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards | $5.40 | |
| 2 | 1 | Rising Red | Michael Dee | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | $17.50 |
| 3 | 1½ | Jon Snow | Matt Cameron | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | $29.50 |
| 4 | ½ | Beaumarchais | Michael McNab | Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards | $88.70 |
| 5 | Nose | Sacred Elixir | Leith Innes | Tony Pike | $5.50 |
| 6 | 1½ | Charles Road | Craig Grylls | Lance O'Sullivan & Andrew Scott | $14.90 |
| 7 | 1½ | Camino Rocoso | Jason Waddell | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | $13.60 |
| 8 | ½ | Excalibur | Jonathan Riddell | Shaune Ritchie | $16.70 |
| 9 | ½ | Mongolian Legend | Cameron Lammas | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | $116.00 |
| 10 | Nose | Highlad | Johnathan Parkes | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | $30.70 |
| 11 | Neck | Wyndspelle | Danielle Johnson | Donna Logan & Chris Gibbs | $12.90 |
| 12 | Neck | Savile Row | Michael Coleman | Michael Moroney & Pam Gerard | $3.80 |
| 13 | ½ | Leading Role | Lisa Allpress | Gary Vile | $128.60 |
| 14 | 1½ | Mongolian Wolf | Mark Du Plessis | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | $32.10 |
| 15 | 6 | Stephenstihls | Hayden Tinsley | Mike Breslin | $67.90 |
| 16 | 1½ | Lincoln Blue | Masa Tanaka | Lisa Latta | $27.60 |
| 17 | 22 | Redeem The Dream | Vinnie Colgan | Shaune Ritchie | $39.30 |
| 18 | ½ | Cha Siu Bao | Derek Leung | Lance O'Sullivan & Andrew Scott | $40.50 |
Further details of the winner, Gingernuts :
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