Special win for first time owner
First-time owner Jason Grigg has always wanted to win a race but he never imagined he would do it in a race named after a family member.
That itch was scratched in memorable manner on Saturday when Strada Cavallo won the Listed John Grigg Stakes at Ashburton.
Formally of Ashburton but now residing across the Tasman, Grigg watched the race in a Melbourne pub with his family and seeing the filly he part owns break maidens in a Listed race named after his great great grandfather was ‘‘very exciting and special’’.
John Grigg was a pioneer in many aspects of Mid-Canterbury in the mid-to-late 1800s and it was a dream come true for Grigg to get his first win in a race that was named after such an influential relative.
Grigg’s 13-year-old daughter told him that Strada Cavallo was always going to win because great great granddad would have been pushing her over the line.
‘‘The excitement I got out of that last 15 seconds, I would have paid five times what I have done for that,’’ Grigg said.
Trainer Graham Richardson told Grigg before the race that if Strada Cavallo could run in the top four she would stay in the South Island and aim for the Group I 1000 Guineas.
‘‘With 300 (metres) to go I was really relieved because I thought she would be going for the Guineas but then with 100m to go I thought she can win this,’’ Grigg said.
‘‘I always said when I invested in her that if she won one race I would have been happy but I think she showed enough potential to show she can keep improving.’’
As luck would have it Grigg, who left Christchurch after the earthquakes, will be in town for work on November 13. He is confident he will stay an extra day to be on course at Riccarton for the 1000 Guineas the following day.
Strada Cavallo’s half a head victory firmed her Guineas price in from $81 to $26.
When Grigg found out Strada Cavallo was heading to the John Grigg Stakes he was hopeful it would be a winning omen given the strange set of circumstances that fell into place.
The race was originally known as the John Grigg Stakes but for the last few years has been the Ray Coupland Stakes and only reverted back to the John Grigg this year.
The Alamosa filly is trained in Matamata so the odds of her racing in Ashburton were low. Grigg has no ties to Richardson but decided to approach him after doing some research online.
Ironically he was down to two fillies, Strada Cavallo with Richardson or Windborne with Te Akau’s Fortuna syndicate. Wind borne was a dominant favourite on Saturday but Strada Cavallo came down the middle of the track for Chris John- son for an upset win at $8.90. Grigg backed the filly and then, being a proud Kiwi put his winnings on Mongolian Khan who won the Caulfield Cup to cap a near perfect day.
Meanwhile Johnson will vigorously defend a charge of failing to ride his mount out at a hear- ing on Thursday. Racing Integrity Unit stipendiary stewards charged Johnson with the breach for his ride aboard first starter Tapilize in race three at Winton on October 11. Johnson front the Judicial Control Authority (JCA) hearing on Thursday at Wingatui. The charges centre around the final 100m of Johnson’s ride in a maiden over 1200m. Tapilize and Johnson dead-heated for second with Janefield Jewel and Toni Direen.
The stipendiary stewards report alleges Johnson failed to give Tapilize a reasonable chance of finishing in outright second place.