Bowman 1st choice to ride Gingernuts

Hugh Bowman will ride Gingernuts in the Group One Emirates Stakes at Flemington with one proviso – that Winx doesn’t run.

Te Akau boss David Ellis has confirmed Opie Bosson will stay in New Zealand to ride 2000 Guineas favourite Embellish on Saturday week, opening up the ride on the Rosehill Guineas winner.

“The rider of Gingernuts, if Winx doesn’t run, will be Hugh Bowman and if Winx does run then Blake Shinn is keen to ride him,” Ellis told NZ Racing Desk.

Bowman is the regular rider of champion Winx with the pair combining for a third Cox Plate win last Saturday.

Bosson rode Gingernuts to his Group One win at Rosehill in the autumn but left the decision whether to ride at the Group One meeting at Riccarton or head to Melbourne to Ellis who manages the syndicate that races the four-year-old.

“Opie said to leave it to me and he is happy to do whatever the team wanted him to do,” Ellis said.

Gingernuts had been headed to the Caulfield Cup but his campaign was interrupted when New Zealand’s premier weight-for-age event, the Livamol Classic was abandoned because of wet weather.

He then finished a close second in the rescheduled Livamol on October 22 won by Wait A Sec.