I Am Giant wins the Gr 3 Post Merchants (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
Stuart Ferrie is in the unusual position for a small yard of having two fine chances on Sunday at the World Pool Gold Cup meeting and both of them are in Gr 1 races.
He runs the versatile Gladatorian in the Gr 1 HKJC Champions Cup over 1800m and the newcomer to his yard, the classy and in-form sprinter I Am Giant, in the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint over 1200m.
Stuart said about Gladatorian, “He came out of the July fine, he seems fresh and happy. so all is good.”
Gladatorian was dropped out in the Hollywoodbets Durban July from a wide draw and had a lot of ground to make up in the straight, but ran on for a respectable five lengths seventh.
Stauart said, “The went so slowly and those good horses all of them can maintain that gallop when they go that slow, so it is hard to make up ground on them.”
He added, “But in theory 1800m should be spot on for him and I think Montien will definitely go a strong pace on Sunday.”
The draw doesn’t really matter for Gladatorian as he is dropped out anyway, but Stuart was glad to have a good draw at last (draw two) as the bay will just be able to sit from the off.
He concluded about the five-year-old Vercingetorix gelding, “He hasn’t missed a day’s work since the July and there have been no hiccups.”
I am Giant has only had two runs for Stuart and needed the first of them on 16 June at Hollywoodbets Scottsville over 1000m as it followed a five month layoff.
In his next start he won the Gr 2 Post Merchants over 1200m on Hollywoodbets Durban July day in scintillating fashion, beating the lightweight three-year-old filly Mai Sensation by 0,75 lengths.
Gladatorian actually won the Post Merchants too for Stuart, two years ago.
Stuart said about I Am Giant, “He was spot on last time and he is as good this time, he also hasn’t missed a day’s work since July day. He is better off at the weights with most of the horses he beat in the Post Merchants. Tenango is widely drawn so the one I am most worried about is Questioning, because he is better off at the weights from the Post Merchants (4kg better off than I Am Giant for a 4,40 length beating) and he also has a better draw than he had in the Merchants.”
I Am Giant had draw six in the Post Merchants and now has a plum draw of four.
Sean Veale rides both horses.
Gladatorian is part-owned by Race Coast CEO Michel Nairac, who has a race named after him on the day, “The Michel Nairac Appreciation Stakes”, while five-year-old Querari gelding I Am Giant is owned by Hollywood Racing and will thus be an equally fitting winner on the day with Hollywoodbets now owning the Race Coast operator.
Hollywood won the Mercury Sprint with Isivunguvungu two years ago and will be hoping to hold the trophy again.
