I Am Giant powers home under Sean Veale. (Candiese Lenferna Photography).
Stuart Ferrie and Sean Veale won the Post Merchants with Vercingetorix gelding Gladatorian in 2023 and repeated the feat on Saturday with the AC Dickerson-bred Hollywood Racing-owned Querari five-year-old gelding I Am Giant, although it has been downgraded to a Gr 3 this year.
Hollywood bought this good looking sprinter from Laurence Wernars and Harry Willson at the beginning of last year, but Saturday was just the second run he had had for Ferrie’s Summerveld yard and his second run after a five month layoff, so it was a fine training feat by Ferrie.
Stuart said in the build up I Am Giant had needed his previous start and he expected him to be competitive.
I Am Giant sat in midfield with cover from draw 6 of 13 and was full of running in the straight.
The gaps opened and he powered through to win by 0,75 lengths under Sean Veale with the only filly in the race, Mai Sensation, runner up meaning Lucinda Woodruff was narrowly denied repeating her win of last year in this race with Cafe Culture.
O’Tenikwa, Buffalo Storm Cody and Outlaw King were next best respectively.
I Am Giant, who is out of the Var mare Vars Honour, is the second son of Querari to win the Post Merchants. His paternal half-brother Kangaroo Jack won the same race back in the 2016 renewal.
Third in the 2024 Gr1 Golden Horse Sprint, I Am Giant was originally purchased for R350 000 off the BSA August 2yo Sale.
Now a winner of 5 races with 8 places from 18 starts, I Am Giant took his stakes earnings to R852 313.
He provided Querari with a 44th stakes winner.
South Africa’s Leading Sire of 2yo’s in 2018-2019, Querari is currently fifth on the General Sires premiership with his flagbearers this season headed by the very smart Wilgerbosdrift Gr1 H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes winner Cosmic Speed.
I Am Giant provided Hollywood Racing with a 117th win this season.
Post race comments:
SEAN VEALE : “Well done to everyone, especially the sponsor who backs me a hundred percent. Well done to our Racing Manager. I told him when this horse arrived, that I would win the Merchants … we just needed a draw. I’m glad, as he needed the run last time with 62 ½ kilos. I’m glad he reproduced his work from home. We got into a position for free and from there it was all history. He won well.”STUART FERRIE : “I’m over the moon. We won it 2 years ago with Gladatorian and then the lights went out, which put a damper on things. Big thanks to Hollywood … they’ve given me a few horses and I’m glad I could win one on their big day. He’s the most beautiful horse. James Crawford (previously trained I Am Giant) saw me yesterday and said that he would win races for me. He has the best temperament and easy to work with.”ANTHONY DELPECH : “A very big well done to Hollywood. It’s a fantastic day. Nice to see so many people at a racecourse. We miss this. What Hollywood are doing for racing is just incredible. I Am Giantt got into a lovely position … I think Muzi helped him a little … clean-out a some guys. Well done to Stuart … a fantastic job. This horse was at Life After Racing for 5 months, as he wasn’t very well. Nicole did a fantastic job with him. It was a great ride from Sean.”