Sean Veale salutes as Gladatorian gives trainer Stuart Ferrie a first Gr 1 victory and outgoing Race Coast CEO Michel Nairac a day to remember (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
Those who followed the theory that “fresh” horses run better in the Gr 1 wfa HKJC Champions Cup would have been rueing that decision as form proved a better guide.
A “fresh” horse is regarded as one who did not run in the Hollywoodbets Durban July.
The first two home in the Gr 1 weight for age HKJC Champions Cup on Sunday, Gladatorian and The Real Pince, both ran in the Hollywoodbets Durban July and later on the July runner Rainbow Lorikeet won the Gr 2 Bet With The World Gold Bracelet over 2000m.
Gladatorian and The Real Prince beat home five other horses, all of whom would have fitted into the “fresh” category.
Gladatorian gave Stuart Ferrie a deserved first Gr 1 victory after a perfectly timed charge by Sean Veale.
Ferrie said, “He got into a nice position on the rail in a small field and the pace was honest and even. It opened up nicely for him and he did his normal run on thing. Sometimes I think he is going to get there and he doesn’t get there, but today he got there, although you never know until the line comes.”
He said about the feeling of winning his first Gr 1, “It’s unbelievable, it is hard to describe.”
He said about the future for Gladatorian, who will be a six-year-old next season, “We obviously might have to think about Cape Town, but we will figure that out.”
The victory capped a memorable day for outgoing Race Coast CEO Michel Nairac. The first race of the day, the Listed Michel Nairac Appreciation Stakes, honoured his more than 20 years at the helm and he later celebrated Gr 1 victory as he is a part-owner of Glaatorian together with Messrs Late Agasthamuni Gujadhur, E G Hart de Keating and M L Jean Hardy.
Gladatorian was the logical form choice in retrospect.
He had already proved he stays 1800m with an impressive win at Hollywoodbets Scotsville over 1750m.
Gladatorian only has one way of running and that is to be left alone from off the pace and produce a late charge and having drawn two in a seven horse field, as opposed to eight in a twelve horse field in the Gold Challenge, he was always likely to have less ground to make up and was also likely to get a clearer run.
Dave The King had looked ominously like the winner approaching the final turn, because unlike the Gold Challenge when boxed in he had led at a slow pace early and this had allowed him to begin his well know long run in from the 800m mark.
However, one disadvantage he had is that opposition know him well now and know that he is not going to come back to the field.
The Real Prince might have been an impressive winner of the Hollywoodbets Durban July and he was equally eyecatching in the IOS Drill Hall Stakes, but he was unexposed over this trip.
Craig Zackey kept Dave The King’s in his sights when the latter began stretching them a long way out, but the Real Prince’s acid test was going to be whether he could make an impression on Dave The King in the straight.
Meanhile, See It Again was enjoying much more luck than he had in the race last year as he had perfect cover from Montien, who was lying one out and one back and Gladatorian was perfectly placed behind The Real Prince on the rail.
To the surprise of a few The Real Prince was soon all over Dave The King and See It Again was proving last year’s run was all wrong, because he was also all over the big horse.
Keagen de Melo used his experience of the tight racing in Hong Kong to keep The Real Prince in.
However, DaveThe King had left just enough room for The Real Prince to sneak through between him and the rail.
It then became clear that The Real Prince, despite hanging outward, had the measure of See It Again.
However, Gladatorian, as usual got into top gear at the 200m mark and was making inroads.
A deft change of whiphand by Sean Veale as close to home as the 50m mark might well have been the difference between victory and defeat as Gladatorian found an extra gear surged past the three-year-old The Real Prince to win by 0,40 lengths with See It Again a further 1,20 lengths back.
Fire Attack was another closer who relished the fast pace in the latter half of the race and he ran on strongly to be beaten just 2,35 lengths.
Dave The King was beaten 2,95 lengths into fifth.
Gladatorian boosted the champion sire Vercingetorix’s earnings to over R38 million, which is a new SA record.
