The Gordon Richards-trained Gytrash has proved himself against the country’s top short course specialists and so Inglis made the early move to lock the 5-year-old in as its representative in the world’s richest turf contest.
Managing Director Mark Webster said the Inglis selection panel had worked its way diligently through a list of possible contenders before settling on the Morphettville speedster.
“We had an internal group of four of us that have been assessing horses for the last two months. We have sought opinions of other form analysts as well.
Gytrash (white cap)
“We looked at other factors in addition to what analysts might say. Obviously, we prefer an Inglis graduate first of all and look at the trainers and owners that we want to support.
“We then made our selection and I have to say that this year I’ve been a little wary about choosing a Victorian horse. I contacted Racing New South Wales a week or so ago as a slot owner as we needed to know if the Victorian horses would be allowed in.
“I probably would still have chosen Gytrash in the end, but it did make it easier to discount some of the Victorian horses because there’s no certainty at this point in time that they can come to Sydney to compete.
“From our perspective we needed to get on with it and get going with the publicity and support.”
“From our perspective we needed to get on with it and get going with the publicity and support.” – Mark Webster
Gytrash was in dazzling form through his late summer and autumn campaign with victory in the G1 Black Caviar Lightning and placing at the top level in the Newmarket H., William Reid S. and the Goodwood H. with success in the G3 RN Irwin S. in between times.
He has met and beaten such sprinting celebrities as Nature Strip (Nicconi), Santa Ana Lane (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Redzel (Snitzel), Sunlight (Zoustar), Loving Gaby (I Am Invincible), Bivouac (Exceed And Excel), Tofane (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}), Mystic Journey (Needs Further), Exceedance (Exceed And Excel) and Scales Of Justice (Not A Single Doubt).
“Gytrash ticks all the boxes, he’s proven at the top level, his on-speed racing pattern is favourable, he’s proven on both dry and wet tracks and in 19 career starts he’s only been out of the top three once,’’ Webster said.
“He’s competitive and when you look at The Everest, it’s not all about winning. You really want to be in the top three to get a decent return.
“We haven’t had that top three placing yet and Gytrash’s consistency played a big part in our selection.
“We haven’t had that top three placing yet and Gytrash’s consistency played a big part in our selection.” – Mark Webster
“I think he is a horse on the improve and in his last campaign he certainly improved on the one before that. I’m not even sure he’s peaked yet and that’s exciting.
“He really has become a giant-killer of racing, you only need to look at the scalps he accrued during his autumn campaign to see that on his day, he is at the very least every bit as good as the other leading sprinters around.
“He’s a lightly-raced 5-year-old who we believe is the best up-and-coming sprinter in the country and we can’t wait for these next two months as we target The Everest with Gordon Richards and Gytrash’s connections.’’
Gytrash as a yearling
Gytrash was a $40,000 Premier Yearling Sale graduate and is the third confirmed runner in the world’s richest turf race alongside fellow Inglis graduates Nature Strip and Classique Legend (Not A Single Doubt).
He is one of 27 Group 1 winners since 2018 that could have been purchased through Inglis for $100,000 or less.
Exhibition gallop
Gytrash will have an exhibition gallop at Morphettville on Saturday before leaving Adelaide for Sydney on Sunday.
“Gordon has got a big job to transport his horse from Adelaide to Sydney and he’s not allowed to go through Victoria so has to go the long way around,” Webster said.
“We thought we would make the decision early so when he gets in the car and spends three hours driving he knows he’s doing it for a good reason.
“We like to give the connections of the horse we select a bit of time to prepare and without the pressure to do anything unnecessarily.
“We like more time from the marketing perspective and it’s one of the reasons we’re investing in The Everest. It’s not an inexpensive exercise so we need to have a decent run in from a marketing sense.
Gordon Richards and his wife Jacqui
“We’ll be looking after Gordon and his wife Jacqui, who’s also the managing owner, here at the William Inglis Hotel.
“I’ve spoken to them and they are looking forward to being in Sydney for a couple of months and enjoying the hospitality.
“Gordon has been the perfect gentleman and with Jacqui they have been so easy to deal with. It’s been a very professional process and we look forward to welcoming them when they arrive on Tuesday.”
In fine fettle
Richards said Gytrash had thrived during his time off and had the highest of expectations for the upcoming campaign.
“The horse has come back in terrific order, we really couldn’t be happier with him. He’s matured again, he continues to fill out and I think this is going to be the prep he really announces himself as one of the best, if not the best, sprinter in the world.
“He had a phenomenal autumn, but I’m expecting a spectacular spring. We’ve set our sights high and now that we have the luxury of having a slot secured through Inglis so early, it means we can take our time with him and ensure he’s peaking on the one day and one day only, and that’s Everest day.
“This horse has been under-rated his entire career, but he couldn’t have done much more in the autumn especially to prove he’s the real deal. He absolutely deserves his spot in The Everest because there is zero doubt that he’s in the best handful of sprinters in Australia, let alone in the top 12.
"He absolutely deserves his spot in The Everest because there is zero doubt that he’s in the best handful of sprinters in Australia, let alone in the top 12. " - Gordon Richards
“The ownership group, Jacqui and I can’t wait for the next couple of months. This is what dreams are made of, the chance to contest a race worth $15 million with a horse you paid just $40,000 for.
“It’s a huge thank you to Inglis for giving us this opportunity, they have been the ultimate professionals to deal with and Jacqui and I are effectively living at the William Inglis Hotel for the next couple of months.
“We’re going to get to know the Inglis crew very well and hopefully we’re celebrating in the Black Caviar Suite in the hotel penthouse with The Everest trophy in mid-October."
Gytrash is likely to resume in the G3 Concorde S. at Randwick on September 5 before contesting either the G2 The Shorts or the G2 Premiere S.
