3 minute read

South Australian sprinting sensation Gytrash has settled into retirement nicely at the Simon Tolley Cellar Door at Woodside in the Adelaide Hills.

It's been a big change of lifestyle for the Group 1 winner who's known around the vineyard by his stable name "Lewis", and also for winemaker Simon Tolley.

"He's going very well, he is an adorable horse – he really is and I've become quite close to him over the past month," said Tolley.

"He's settled in with the sheep. We've got about 32 rams behind me at the moment. They're my neighbour's rams, he's befriended them and he's quite happy.

"He's made friends with me as well. I had been told he is a bit of a loner and he's happy on his own, and I've definitely seen that side of him.

"For me it's almost a little bit of a mental health space being around him. I come down here a couple times a day and I tune out with the horse and feed him. My life is grapes and wines so this is something different and I'm really enjoying it."

Co trainers Gordon Richards and Damien Moyle, along with their families and some of Gytrash's owners made a day of it at the cellar door on Sunday December 11, to check-in on how the seven year old was settling in.                            

"I'm rapt because he didn't want to come up to us. He was happy hanging back there with the sheep and he has found a life for himself here and it's really good," said Richards who made the decision to retire his stable star in March due to an ongoing knee injury.

"He's let down pretty well. He's got a wintry coat on him because we've had a pretty ordinary Spring up until now. He's a bit rough looking but he's happy with that. And as long as he's happy and bright that's the main thing.

"We'll be coming up here on a regular basis – and that's the beauty of having him here at Simon Tolley winery, that any owners can come up and pat him and feed him a carrot and say hello because it's so close to Adelaide," he said.

Former Norwood champion and two time Magarey Medallist Garry McIntosh was the owner who came up with the name Gytrash – named after the legendary spirit of English folklore that is said to take form of a horse, mule or dog. 

He cost just $40,000 as a yearling, and over the journey won nearly $4.5 million in prizemoney.

The 2020 Lightning Stakes win, and minor placings in the Everest, William Reid, Newmarket Handicap and the Goodwood going down as his most significant achievements. 

"It's good to get up here and see him," McIntosh said.

"Probably a little bit selfishly we'd like to see him racing, but it's nice to see he's in a good home and thanks to Simon for putting him up here it's great. 

"He's definitely been our best horse. But we've been involved in another horse called Benz which was a pretty good horse and won a Group 3, and we're involved in a horse at the moment called My Khalifa which is going alright as well.

"This (Gytrash) is a once in a lifetime horse. I think to get a horse that can win at Group 1 level we are just very lucky. It would be nice to have another one but there's a good chance our luck might be gone now and that's racing.

"My lad works with Gordon now and I'm pretty sure he has a bit of an attachment with him as well," said McIntosh.

"It's a great thing for the general public to see that they do get looked after following their racing lives and you can come up here, have a few wines and pat an ex-champion," he said.

The picturesque Simon Tolley Cellar Door is open Thursday through to Monday from 11am to 5pm and the venue would love to know ahead if you'd like an up close experience with Gytrash.