Rawiller lands 2025 The Gong with another daring ride
Nash Rawiller has a reputation for zigging when others zag, and he lived up to that billing once again with a bold rails-hugging ride on Gringotts to win The Gong at Kembla Grange.
A wet afternoon and heavy-track downgrade had the majority of jockeys swinging wide into the straight, following what appeared to be the only genuine racing lane.
Rawiller, after walking the track four separate times, chose the opposite approach — staying tight 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.”
With a final surge, Gringotts ($2.45 fav) responded, lifting late to hold off Estadio Mestalla ($5.50) and secure back-to-back wins in the $1 million Gong (1600m). New Endeavour ($16) finished strongly for third.
The victory added to a stellar prep already featuring the Big Dance (1600m) and a Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m), prompting trainer Ciaron Maher to label this campaign the horse’s best yet.
“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 wasn’t initially convinced when Rawiller announced his intention to ride the inside section, but history shows the champion hoop thrives when he backs his instincts.
His audacious outside-rail route with Think It Over in the 2022 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) remains the prime 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.”
Gringotts, now a $6 million-plus earner, will spearhead toward Randwick’s The Ingham (1600m) next month.
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