Gruzamba Grouse at Kyneton

23 October, 2024

Gruzamba Grouse at Kyneton


Gruzamba (3 g Grunt – Wazamba, by Exceed And Excel) had no trouble justifying hot favouritism with an impressive debut victory in the A$27,000 Hygain Maiden 1112 metres on 22 October at Kyneton (Victoria).

Ridden by Ethan Brown, who was aboard when comfortably winning a jump out on 7 October at Cranbourne, Gruzamba continued to shorten from $2.00 opening quote to pay $1.40 on the NZ TAB tote.

From a handy draw (4), Gruzamba was quickly into stride, leading a competitive pace on the inner. He travelled best approaching the home turn with 400m to run and sidled away effortlessly to win easing down by nearly five lengths.

Calm and calculated in his preliminary and around at the start, if nothing else, Gruzamba looked like a horse with plenty more in the tank and shapes as a multiple race winning prospect.

On Soft5 footing, Gruzamba ran the distance (1112m) in 1:05.3. 

“He’s a nice horse, well educated, which makes my job a bit easier,” Brown said. “He’s always chased in his trials. I’ve taken a sit on him and taught him to chase, but today there was a bit of a rush early and we went on with it to lead.

“He quickened well when I gave him a squeeze and I felt if something came he would have challenged, but it was a pretty good win.

“He’s going to go through the grades okay and I think teaching him to chase is just another string to his bow. Today he led up, probably a bit green, so there was more merit to his win.

“I think he’s a nice horse, either way, and he’s quite genuine.”

Prior to the race, Te Akau Australia assistant trainer Ben Gleeson said: “He’s got a great brain on him, especially for a breeze-up horse they can come with some idiosyncrasies.

“We’ve had him for nearly a year now. It’s been a long steady build-up. He’s had a couple of preps, been in and out, and a horse for a new owner we just wanted to get it right for his first start, so we gave him all the patience he needs.

“He’s a beautiful neat horse and hopefully he can turn into a nice, stocky, sprinter in time.

“Ethan (Brown) got to know him in two jump outs and we’re expecting him to show his true form.”

And in his summary, Gleeson added: “It was picture perfect race, really.

“He showed good gate speed, got the front and controlled it, settled, and showed a good amount of tractability, and the way he kicked on the corner was very impressive.”

As to whether Gruzamba would go through the grades or take on stakes racing, Glesson said it would depend on the expectations of the owners, but added: “A few of them probably want to shoot for the stars, but ideally we’ll try and pick out the right races given that he’s a three-year-old and send him through the grades.

“He’s far from the finished product and probably six months off, physique wise, so whatever he does now is a bonus and what we see in the autumn will be most important.”

Shared by a large group of owners, Gruzamba was purchased for A$95,000 by Sidecreek Racing, from the draft of JCS Thoroughbreds (Benalla), at the Inglis Ready2Run Sale (main picture).

Gruzamba is trained by Mark Walker and added to the recent list of eight winners from 18 runners out of the Te Akau stables at Cranbourne.

“It was a really good win and we remember the horse from the Ready2Run Sale in Sydney, where we actually bid on the horse and he was passed in,” Walker said.

“The current ownership group got in before us to buy him and Ben (Gleeson) knew them, so we were able to approach the owners, tell them we loved the horse and were underbidders, with a view to training him.

“So that’s how he ended up in the Te Akau stable, and Ben and I had a lovely lunch last week with some of the ownership group and we had a lot of fun at a pub in Melbourne, and they’ll be just over the moon.

“We’ll plot a path to go through the grades. Darren Freer manages the horse for the syndicate. He’s a real character and a lot of fun to be around and his whole group will enjoy celebrating the win. 

“It’s a big thrill, Ben and the team at Cranbourne have got the team in super form, and like many we were bit unlucky that the rain put paid to our chances last Saturday at Caulfield, but also excited about some lovely chances we’ve got coming up during Melbourne Cup Week.”

Gruzamba is from the second crop by exciting young sire Grunt (O’Reilly), a first-class racehorse and dual Group One winner of the Australian Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) and Makybe Diva Stakes (Gr. 1, 1600m), who has already proved himself when leaving stakes winners from his first crop, including stallion prospect Veight (Grunt), who bolted in winning on debut by six lengths, dealt to them when winning the VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr. 2, 1400m) at just his second start, and subsequently won the Australian Stakes (Gr. 2, 1200m) and George Ryder Stakes (Gr. 1, 1500m). 

Grunt is from the impressive winning (2000m – 2100m) NZ mare Ruqqaya (Van Nistelrooy), a half-sister to five-time Group One winner and successful stallion Ocean Park (Thorn Park), who, including Grunt and Group Two winner Zayydani (Savabeel), has left five individual winners of 20 races and over $3m in stakes.

An absolutely top-drawer family and Grunt not only proved himself as one of the best three-year-olds in Australia, but has made an immediate impact as a sire. 

The dam of Gruzamba, Wazamba (Exceed And Excel), was a consistent sprinter that won over 1100 metres in Australia, and the sire quality continues through the dam line with grand-dam Percussive, owned by Sheikh Mohammed, by Encosta de Lago (Fairy King). 

A winner over 1350 metres in Australia, Percussive is the dam of Berimbau (Shamardal), who in turn left current Australian Sprinter of the Year Imperatriz (I Am Invincible), a superstar winner of 10 Group One races for Te Akau, after being purchased by Te Akau principal David Ellis CNZM as a yearling at Magic Millions on the Gold Coast. 

Jockey Ethan Brown was also aboard Scottie’s Legacy, a four-year-old mare by Almanzor (Wootton Bassett), the additional runner on the programme for Walker, who resumed stylishly in the Maiden 1469 metres when storming home from last to finish second to race favourite Stupendous (Trapeze Artist). 

Gruzamba was strapped by Adrian Hug.


Photo credit - Inglis.com

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