Oisin Murphy had his first win on South African soil on the Justin Snaith-trained Vercingetorix colt Sail The Seas, who made it a fourth career win from just seven starts when winning the last race at the LKP meeting, a Middle Stakes event over 1400m. (Picture: Wayne Marks)
Vercingetorix has opened up a lead of more than R2 million in the national sires championship after having a fine day at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday in which he had an 11th Gr 1 winner among other important winners.
He has stakes earnings this season of R12,485,300 and this is more than R2 million ahead of second placed Master Of My Fate (R10,182,988) with Gimmethegreenlight (R9,040,375), Querari (R7,516,200) and One World (R6,876,638) next best. One World’s position in fifth is remarkable considering he has only had one crop plus a few early two-year-olds representing him to date.
Cape Breeders wrote the below report about Vercingetorix’s fine day on Saturday:
Cape Breeders
Maine Chance Farms’ champion sire elect Vercingetorix had an outstanding day at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday. The son of Silvano had three winners on L’Ormarins King’s Plate day, with Vercingetorix runners Double Grand Slam and Rascallion winning the day’s G1 Cartier Paddock Stakes (1800m) and G2 Anthonij Rupert Wyne Premier Trophy (1800m) respectively.
Vercingetorix is also the sire of promising three-year-old Sail The Seas who caught the eye when winning ninth and final race on Saturday, while Vercingetorix gelding Holding Thumbs ran second in Saturday’s G3 Glorious Goodwood Chairman’s Cup.
In landing Saturday’s Paddock Stakes, Double Grand Slam became her sire’s 11th Grade One winner.
The Justin Snaith trained four-year-old was all the rage for Saturday’s R1 000 000 feature and she duly obliged in impressive fashion. Under an ice-cool Richard Fourie, Double Grand Slam raced towards the back of the field for much of the running. Fourie bought the Vercingetorix filly with a powerful late run which swamped her rivals, and Double Grand Slam drew off to win convincingly by a length and a half.
An impressive winner of the Summer Bowl on her penultimate start, Double Grand Slam has won seven of 15 starts including the 2024 G3 SplashOut Prix Du Cap, 2024 G3 Umzimkhulu Stakes, and 2024 G2 East Coast Radio Tibouchina Stakes.
Bred by Varsfontein Stud, Double Grand Slam, bred on the same cross as the likes of Vernichey and Golden Sickle, is out of the Captain Al Princess Peach.
The filly was a R1 000 000 buy from the 2022 National Yearling Sale.
Vercingetorix sons Rascallion and Magic Verse provided their outstanding sire with more success when that pair ran 1-2 in the G2 Anthonij Rupert Wyne Premier Trophy at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.
Tough as teak seven-year-old Rascallion, winner of the 2023 Anthonij Rupert Wyne Premier Trophy, made it back-to-back graded wins when he scored a narrow win on Saturday.
Under a strong ride from Seal Veale, the Vaughan Marshall-trained Rascallion put his head down where it mattered most to land the 2025 Premier Trophy by a short-head.
The gutsy Rascallion, who had won the G3 Cape Mile at his penultimate start, has won 7 races with 14 places from 28 starts for stakes of R2 170 714.
Bred by Dr Veronique Kritzinger, Rascallion (now a four-time graded stakes winner) is out of the Jet Master mare Sofala.
Vercingetorix, well clear on the South African General Sires premiership this season, is also responsible for promising sophomore Sail The Seas. The latter beat fellow Vercingetorix sons Let It Be Said and Gallic Dream into second and third respectively when he won the A Case Of You Middle Stakes (1400m) on Saturday.
Under Oisin Murphy, the classy three-year-old has now won four of seven starts, with Sail The Seas having contested the G1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas in December.
Trained by Justin Snaith, the Drakenstein Stud-bred Sail The Seas is out of the Philanthropist mare Sail.
