The 2026 Betway Joburg Spring Challenge day saw Tristan Godden return to the scene of his first Grade 1 victory and find himself back in the Turffontein winner’s enclosure, this time aboard Messrs E G Hart de Keating, M L Jean Hardy, M J L Nairac, L M Nestadt & Vendel Civils (Pty) Ltd’s Gladatorian (Vercingetorix – Harvard Crimson) trained by Stuart Ferrie, in the R550,000 Betway Joburg Spring Challenge (Gr2).
Godden, who partnered 100-1 shot Mocha Blend to victory in the Betway Summer Cup on 29 November last year for his first career Grade 1 success, was given the ride on Gladatorian in the absence of the suspended Sean Veale.
The seven-year-old gelding produced a determined finish, charging down the outside in the closing stages to get the better of I’m A Fireball (Vercingetorix – Gibraltar Blue) by just under a length. Texas Red (The United States – True Asset) finished a further 1.30 lengths back in third, with Choisaanada (Querari – Musaanada) completing the quartet after a 13-week break.
Gladatorian was sent to post at 4-1 and stopped the clock at 88.58 seconds for the Turffontein inside track 1450m.
It was only Godden’s second ride on Gladatorian, having previously partnered the gelding when he finished a narrow second to Winchester Mansion in the 2024 Allied Steelrode Onamission Charity Mile.
Formerly trained by the retired Dennis Drier, Gladatorian was bred by Erasmus Thoroughbreds CC and sold for R400,000 at the 2021 BSA National Yearling Sale. Gladatorian now has 12 wins and 13 places from 36 career starts, with earnings of R3,770,339.
