Rawiller pulls the right rein again as Gringotts strikes Gong again

3 months ago 17

By Craig Kerry

November 22, 2025 — 5.59pm

Nash Rawiller is renowned for going where other jockeys fear to tread, and on memorable occasions on heavy tracks, that has been down the outside fence.

In the $1 million The Gong on Saturday at Kembla Grange, the inside became the path less travelled as the rain fell and jockeys searched for better ground out wide.

Nash Rawiller celebrates on Gong winner Gringotts.

Rawiller, as should be expected, did the unexpected on favourite and defending champion Gringotts and went for an inside run after sitting midfield.

The Ciaron Maher-trained star, a back-to-back Big Dance winner, added The Gong double with a gritty effort to hold off a wide-running Estadio Mestalla by a half-length.

“Nash, I think he said he walked the track four times, and he was keen to stay in, which, you know, I was like, right-o,” Maher said.

“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’s just a trainer, an owner’s dream horse.

“Any conditions, any track, he’s just a ripper.”

Rawiller, who recovered from a pre-race fall in the second to ride a winning double on the card, admitted he was worried briefly in the run that he had made the wrong choice.

“If I wasn’t confident I wouldn’t have done [gone inside], I wasn’t going to say anything to anyone ... You’ve got it back your judgement,” he said.

“Still, I was worried at the 100. I still thought, you haven’t put them away, but I hadn’t really gone for him either, so I was pretty confident.

“He’s such a good horse and I really love that.”

Maher said Gringotts, which missed two runs this preparation because of illness, would next target the $2 million The Ingham, a race he failed in last year.

“I know he’s won a [George] Ryder, but I reckon he’s in better form this preparation,” he said.

“He was dominant last start and he was quite dominant today. And because we missed a couple of races early in the prep, he’s still very much on the up, so he’s in a different spot this year.”

Coyle catches the glory

After almost scratching Catch The Glory at every turn, Warwick Farm trainer Jason Coyle joked that he wasn’t sure he had made the right decision to run in The Warra, even after winning the $300,000 group 3 on Saturday at Kembla.

Jason Collett took the four-year-old mare down the outside fence in the heavy 8 conditions to edge out The Black Cloud in the 1000m feature.

Coyle was eyeing the listed Starlight Stakes (1100m) with Catch The Glory next week at Rosehill but accepted for the Warra after only 10 accepted.

He was then close to scratching on Saturday morning because of predicted showers and then again midway through the program as the track deteriorated from a soft 5. The late scratching of favourite Zealously convinced Coyle to go ahead.

“I still don’t reckon I made the right decision,” Coyle said.

Jason Collett rides Catch The Glory to victory.

“Next week it will be a five-horse field and she would have drawn two or something, but as long as she comes through it unharmed and she’s well, we obviously made the right decision. She’s a stakes winner and that’s what we were here to do.

“At 7.28am I was still 50-50 on whether I pull the pin or stick with my original 1100 at Rosehill, but the smaller the field got, and obviously when Peter [Snowden] pulled out [Zealously] … I know she tries hard and even if she didn’t let down as good as she could, I knew she would still run a race.”

He said Catch The Glory would go for a break before being aimed at more stakes races.

“In the autumn I feel like she’s got another level to give,” he said.

Irish import breaks through

Top trainer Ciaron Maher believes Irish jockey Adam Farragher has a bright future after riding his “first nice one”, Spywire, perfectly to grab a maiden Australian victory at Kembla.

Farragher had gone 16 rides without a win since joining Maher from William Haggas’ English stable and had his first opportunities at city level on Saturday. His opening chance was on Spywire in the third, and he urged him to the line to overhaul Hawker Hall by three-quarters of a length.

The 25-year-old said it was great to get a nice winner to kick-start his time in Australia, which he hopes to make his home.

Maher gave Farragher a start after meeting with him while in the UK this year. He said it was a brilliant ride on Spywire, which is headed to the $1 million Magic Millions Snippets on the Gold Coast.

“I had a few beers with him, and he’s a good friend of a good friend of mine, Jamie Spencer, and he said he was interested in coming out,” Maher said.

“I thought there was a spot for him and we’ve made him earn it. He’s ridden a few slow ones and this is his first nice one and he rode it perfect. He’s a strong jockey, he can ride any weight, his feedback is very good and he’s very good to work with, so hopefully he goes the right way.”

Super result for Day

Jockey Louise Day was grateful to trainer Ron Quinton for another chance with Super Nui after the mare gave her a rare Saturday city winner in the Midway Handicap at Kembla.

Day led on Super Nui last start at Rosehill when the four-year-old finished eighth in a 1300m Midway. Up to 1400m in the same grade on Saturday, Super Nui raced in the one-one before taking over at the 200m and grinding out a one-length win.

“I’m just thankful to Ron for running her here again, but letting me stay with her,” Day said.

“Obviously she probably did too much the other day in front and she capitulated, but I set her straight for today and the track rode a lot softer than it walked, which was great for her.”

The Irishwoman had regular Saturday success when based in Sydney during the COVID period but has had just one NSW city win, at midweek level, over the previous two seasons.

“I’ve ridden plenty of Saturday winners but not for a while, not since my apprentice days,” she said.

Sharp prospect aims up again

Warwick Farm trainer Joe Pride hopes Weeping Woman can add to his growing list of stakes race wins this season at her next start after scoring back-to-back Saturday city victories.

Weeping Woman, a five-year-old Lonhro mare, followed an 1100m benchmark 78 handicap win against her own sex at Rosehill with another over 1200m in the same grade at Kembla, edging out Jellicious over the last 200m.

Pride, who has won three group 1s and several other features this spring, was looking next to the December 13 listed Razor Sharp (1200m) at Randwick with Weeping Woman.

“That’s two Saturday wins now for her and she’s got good quality,” Pride said.

“She’s bred on the same cross as [Spring Champion Stakes winner] Attica, a Lonhro out of a Street Cry mare, and there he is running 2000 metres and she looks like a 1200-metre horse, so there’s one for the pedigree buffs.

“I’d love to get her a crack at the Razor Sharp next start.”