Gladatorian and regular rider Sean Veale after winning this year’s Gr 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes (Candiese Lenferna Photography).
Stuart Ferrie will be out to land his first Hollywoodbets Durban July with his fist runner in the big race, Gladatorian, although the five-year-old Vercingetorix gelding would be the third July winner to be trained out of the yard Stuart occupies at Summerveld.
The previous yard incumbents were the legendary Dennis Drier and before that it was Dennis’s father-in-law John Breval and they both trained one July winner from this yard respectively.
It is now 33 years since Dennis Drier trained Spanish Galliard, who was part-owned by Harry and Bridget Oppenheimer, to Durban July victory from Stuart’s current yard in 1992.
John Breval scored his second July victory from this yard with Principal Boy in the drama-filled 1975 renewal, which saw his Oppenheimer-homebred charge Principal Boy, who had crossed the line in second place, inheriting the race after the third finisher, the Ormond Ferraris-trained Distinctly, successfully objected against the first accross the line, the Herman Brown-trained Gatecrasher.
Breval’s first July win was in 1965 with the Oppenheimer-homebred King Willow, which was a couple of years before Summerveld opened.
Drier would have received the best tuition in training a July winner possible as he was assistant trainer to his late great Hall Of Fame uncle, Syd Laird, who holds the record of seven July winners as a trainer.
Drier would have been in the yard for three of those winners, Mazarin in 1971, Yataghan in 1973 and Politician in 1978, three horses who could have the word “great” preceding their names and in Politician’s case there would be no argument about that.
Ferrie was assistant to Drier for many years before taking out his own license upon the latter’s retirement a couple of years ago.
Stuart helped prepare two or three July runners in his time with Dennis, incuding the diminutive stalwart Beach Beauty in 2012 and Lady In Black in 2019. Both of those fillies were by the great July winner Dynasty, so had the credentials, but the race did not pan out well for either and Beach Beauty finished a 4,95 length ninth, while Lady In Black finished a 5,70 length eleventh.
Dennis and Stuart also looked after the Stan Elley-trained Punta Arenas, who was an unlucky second in the 2015 July.
Gladatorian. who is part-owned by Race Coast CEO Michel Nairac in partnership with Messrs Late Agasthamuni Gujadhur, E G Hart de Keating and M L Jean Hardy, has had an interesting career as he was kept to sprints for his first two years of racing, with just two attempts at 1400m being the only times he ventured out of that category in that period. His win of the Gr 2 Post Merchants over 1200m on Hollywoodbets Durban July day, beating the top Gr 1-winning sprinter Thunderstruck, was the highlight of those first two years of racing.
Gladatorian was second the first time he tried 1400m and won the second time.
He was then tried in the Gr 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m last year and finished a 0,55 length third.
He won the Drill Hall this year in a career best performance, beating the top class See It Again, with classy sorts Great Plain, The Real Prince and Questioning next best in that order.
His pedigree suggested he woud easily stay further than sprints as he is by the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 winner Vercingetorix out of a Dynasty mare.
After the Drill Hall last year he began to prove he could stay further with a number of stalwarts performances over a mile and beyond.
This included a flying second in the Gr 2 Allied-Steelrode Onamission Charity Mile over 1600m at Turffontein Standside, an easy win in a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1750m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville and in his last start he flew from the back of the field once more and only just failed to reach Dave The King and Oriental Charm in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge, losing by 0,35 lengths.
That last race saw his merit rating being increased to 127, meaning he will have to carry joint topweight in the July with See It Again and last year’s winner Oriental Charm.
Gladatorian only has one way of running: he likes to be left alone from the off and he then produces a flying finish from off the pace in the straight. He will need the gaps to open at the right time in the July, but expect to see him surging in tha last 200m a he often only really takes off at that point and the word takes off is fitting because he has a tremendous turn of foot.
Stuart said he is hoping for a draw of anywhere from six to eleven.
The man who knows him best, Sean Veale, will be aboard.
Gladatorian was bred by Easmus Thoroughbreds CC.
Stuart said the breeder had told him Gladatorian’s dam Harvard Crimson had put up her career best performance over 2000m when winning the Listed Jockey Club Stakes in soft going at Fairview by 2,75 lengths.
He thus does not have much doubt about Gladatorian’s stamina capacity as his sire Vercingetorix is by stamina influence Silvano and he himself won the Gr 1 Daily News 2000.
Stuart concluded by saying Gladatorin had come out of the Gold Challenge well and said all was good with him.
Gladatorian is out at 20/1 for the Hollywoodbets Durban July with the sponsor and can be backed at 28/10 for the first five.
Stuart has one other good runner on Hollywoodbets Durban July day, the talented Querari gelding I Am Giant. He said the big Hollywood Racing-owned horse had needed his last start. If he is back to his best he will have a fine chance in the Gr 2 Post Merchants.
