18 Jun 2022Grinzinger Bishop produced a massive upset at Flemington, but trainer Danny O’Brien didn’t share the market’s surprise as he has a healthy opinion of the youngster.
The two-year-old came from back in the field with a rousing finish down the outside under rider Beau Mertens to score over 1420 metres at odds of better than 90-1.
He credited our exciting shuttle stallion Almanzor with his sixth individual first-crop Southern Hemisphere winner with his tally including the Karaka Million hero and G1 Sistema Stakes runner-up Dynastic.
Grinzinger Bishop had tailed the field home earlier this month on debut when he struggled on a heavy surface.
"The Geelong track was really wet, he got back and basically barrier-trialled, he was rolling in his box the next morning,” O’Brien said.
“This was the only half-decent surface we were going to get for the next two and a-half months so we ran him and we’re hoping he might be a Derby horse.”
Grinzinger Bishop’s success has earned him a spot in the Taj Rossi Series Final over 1600 metres at Flemington in a fortnight’s time.
“We may press on if he does well and that would still give us ample time to get him ready for the back end of the spring,” O’Brien said.
Bred by the Dowager Duchess of Bedford and Richard Craddock, Grinzinger Bishop was purchased by Victorian owner John Wheeler out of Brighthill Farm’s draft at Karaka for $55,000.
He is a son of the Listed Trevor Eagle Memorial Stakes winner and multiple Group placegetter Tavy, a Tavistock mare whose grand-dam Good Faith won the G1 Ellerslie Sires’ Produce Stakes.