Gladatorian put up a fine gallop at the official Hollywoodbets Durban July Gallops. (Candiese Lenferna Photography).
Stuart Ferrie’s future plans for Gladatorian when he won the Gr 2 Post Merchants at the Hollywoodbets Durban July meeting two years ago would never have included the Hollywoodbets Durban July itself, but things have changed as much for the Vercingetorix gelding as they have for Hollywoodbets Greyville itself, remembering that his Post Merchants win was the last race at that meeting before the lights failed and the meeting had to be abandoned.
There will be no chance of the lights going out this year with the magnificent rejuvenation Hollywoodbets have made to the racecourse, including state of the art LED lighting which can be turned on and off with the flick of switch, and Gladatorian won’t need them anyway because the sun will still be out when he makes his bid for Hollywoodbets Durban July glory at 16H00.
Stuart said about the five-year-old’s well-being, “All is good, there have been no hiccups, everything has gone to plan.”
At the official Hollywoobets Durban July gallops Gladatorian flew home over the last 600m having been cantered under Sean Veale from the 1400m mark.
Stuart said, “He’s done his work now, that’s why he did a relatively hard piece of graft ten days out. He’d done nothing since the Gold Challenge, so he needed a piece of work down the straight.”
He said about his draw of 16 out of 18, “Well a bad draw is a bad draw, but with the way he runs, it’s not a train smash. He’s never going to be in the first two anyway. We just need a bit of luck and being out there is probably better than drawing one or two.”
There is a stamina doubt with Gladatorian only due to his speed, but on pedigree there should not be a problem.
His sire Vercingetorix is by stamina influece Silvano and Vercingetorix himself won the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 as well as the Gr 1 Jebel Hatta over 1800m at Meydan, plus a Gr 2 over that same trip at Meydan, and he finished second in the Gr 1 Dubai Duty Free over 1800 and third in the Gr 1 QEII Cup at Sha Tin over 2000m.
Gladatorian’s dam Harvard Crimson is by stamina influence Dynasty, who won the July, and she herself won a Listed race over 2000m.
Stuart has had experience in preparing July runners having been with Dennis Drier for many years in which time they prepared Beach Beauty and Lady In Black, who were both by Dynasty, to finish ninth and eleventh repectively without the race panning out well on either occasion. The yard also looked after the Stan Elley-trained Puntas Arenas when he finished second in 2015.
Gladatorian is a solid 16/1 shot with the sponsor and is quietly fancied by a number of pundits.
He has a magnificent turn of foot and his late surge is particularly impactful, so if he does stay every inch of the 2200m he could get up late rather than just failing to do so as when a flying 0,35 length third in the Gr 1 wfa Hollywoodbets Gold Challege over 1600m last time out.
Stuart also has a chance of winning the Gr 2 Post Merchants again, this time with the Hollywood Racing-owned I Am Giant.
He said about the big five-year-old Querari gelding, “He needed that last run. He should be competitive, it looks very open, but some of the ones that ran in the Golden Horse Sprint have gone up in the weights.”
I am Giant is rated 116, which puts him at the top of the 112 to 116 merit rated band, which gives him a significant advantage.
Sean Veale also rides him and he has a fair draw of seven out of 14.
Stuart also runs She’s A Machine (New Predator) in the first race over 1200m on the poly and Chelsea Flower (Flower Alley) in the 12th and last race over 1400m on the poly and Muzi Yeni and 4kg claimer Damyan Pillay ride from draw nine and two respectively.
He said She’s A Machine would be ridden a bit more positively this time and he felt she would “run well.”
He said Chelsea Flower had come down the merit ratings recently and with a 4kg claimer up taking off a further few kilograms he felt she would also run well.
