Gingernuts Bred to get the Biscuit

Gingernuts bred to get the biscuit at Flemington - Brian Russell reports:

ONLY two winners of the New Zealand Derby have gone on to succeed in the Melbourne Cup.

They were 1929 Cup winner Nightmarch, by Night Raid, and 1952 victor Dalray, by Balloch.

However, it is a feat that, on his maternal breeding, could be within the scope of this year's Derby winner Gingernuts, if he was asked to chase the Cup biscuit.

A $5000 weanling and $42,500 Ready to Run sale product bred by the Fell family's Goodwood Stud at Palmerston North, Gingernuts is a three-year-old gelding by Haunui Farm shuttle stallion Iffraaj (Zafonic-Pastorale, by Nureyev) and from Double Elle (Generous-Timberland Lass, by Oregon).

He has now contested seven races for four wins, including the Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m) and the Gr.1 Derby (2400m), an event first held in 1860, the year before the first Melbourne Cup.

Iffraaj has only had two of his Southern Hemisphere-bred foals win beyond 2200m - Gingernuts and Iffwedance (won the 2015 Listed New Zealand St Leger).

Gingernuts' dam Double Elle was a handy performer in Sydney up to 1800m. However, her sire Generous won the English and Irish Derbies and her grandam, Windrift, was an unraced Sir Tristram three-quarter sister to Western Australian Oaks winner Trappings.

Gingernuts' fourth dam Devante was a New Zealand Oaks winner by Sobig, the sire of two times Melbourne Cup winner Think Big, out of Skylit, a Wilkes half-sister to Lady Sybil, a New Zealand-bred winner of the Victoria Oaks and conqueror of the males in the Caulfield Guineas.

At stud in America, Lady Sybil produced four foals for three winners, including Amerigo Lady (13 wins, including the Gr.1 Hollywood Oaks) and Brigand, a Group Two winner. A son of Todman's exported brother Noholme, Brigand sired good winners from use at Waikato Stud in New Zealand.

Gingernuts is the second New Zealand-sired Group One winner for Iffraaj, the other being the recently retired Turn Me Loose, whose seven wins included Group One success in the 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton, the Emirates Stakes (1600m) at Flemington and the Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.

Sire of five Group One winners from use at Darley's Dalham Hall Stud at Newmarket, in England, Iffraaj himself ran 13 times over four years for seven wins, all but one at seven furlongs (1400m). His best years were at four and five and included three wins at Group Two level and a second in the Gr.1 July Cup (1200m) at Newmarket.