Gladatorian is pictured winning the Gr 1 HKJC Champions Cup, but is being generally ignored again ahead of the L’Ormarins King’s Plate, while the yard’s crack sprinter I Am Giant is also double figure odds (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
Stuart Ferrie has vast experience in training racehorses and has proved himself up to the task in close to three years of being on his own and looks to have a bright future.
On Saturday he has two realistic chances of Gr 1 weight for age glory at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth with Gladatorian running in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate over 1600m and I Am Giant running in the World Pool Cape Flying Championship over 1000m.
Gladatorian ran a 3,25 length eleventh in the Gr 2 Ridgemont Green Point Stakes over 1600m in his first Cape Town start but Stuart pointed out, “It was his first time at the course and first time around a left hand turn and he was green around the turn and a bit unbalanced.”
Stuart had said earlier he had been a bit stronger on the bit than usual, but he thought the first experience of the left hand turn was the main reason for the below par run.
Gladatorian has now not only seen the course in the Green Point, but Stuart also took the Vercingetorix gelding to Hollywoodbets Kenilworth last Tuesday and galloped him 700m around the turn.
Gladatorian was a fast finishing 0,35 length third in the last Gr 1 wfa mile he took part in, the Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge at Hollywoodbets Greyville, and he just ran out of real estate as a stride or two more and he would have beaten Dave The King and Oriental Charm.
So he should enjoy the long straight of Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.
At the end of last season he won the Gr 1 HKJC Champions Cup over 1800m, beating The Real Prince, See It Again, Fire Attack and Dave The King, all of whom he faces in the King’s Plate on Saturday.
Furthermore, the bookmakers, in making him a 14/1 shot, seem to have ignored the fact he carried a 2kg Gr 1 penalty in the Green Point. He will be better off at the weights on Saturday with a number of the horses who beat him in the Green Point..
Gladatorian has drawn nine out of fourteen, but as a horse who comes from well off the pace that is not a serious issue.
Ferrie flew in on Thursday for the big race and he sounded bullish about the chances of his six-year-old Vercingetorix gelding.
Stuart said he felt the one to beat was Sail The Seas, who ran a cracker in the Green Point, and he added, “We all know how good See It Again is too and if his mind is right he will be in with a shout.”
He said about the three-year-old favourite Jan Van Goyen, “I am on the fence with him. He is now facing the best horses in the country, and it is not just one or two of the best, it is a whole field of the best.”
Stuart’s Gr 1 World Pool Cape Flying Championship contender is the six-year-old Querari gelding I Am Giant, who runs for champion owners Hollywood Racing.
I Am Giant, winner of the Gr 2 Post Merchants, comes off a fine second in the Gr 2 Splashout Cape Merchants over 1200m in which he was beaten a neck by Outlaw King.
He carried 62kg off his 122 rating in that race and will now be 3,5kg better off with Outlaw King.
He was raised two points to 124, so is officially 4kg under sufferance with the 132-rated favourite Buffalo Storm Cody.
However, he is the third highest rated runner.
Stuart also took him to the course last Tuesday and he said he was in fine shape.
He added, “Sean Veale (who rides Hollywood Racing star filly Asiye Phambili) reckons he might be on the wrong one, although Asiye Phambili is comfortable over five furlongs whereas I Am Giant is a six furlong horse.”
Stuart has the privilege of British Champion jockey Oisin Murphy riding I Am Giant and asked what his instructions would be he replied, “I think Anthony (Delpech) will give the instructions, but there are not too many instructions. Just leave him alone, he likes to come from off them and if he runs them down, he runs them down.”
I Am Giant is drawn low in two, so the connections will hope the field does not create traffic problems for him by tracking over to the inside which can happen if there is a perceived draw bias.
