Gladatorian has now won 12 races, including three Gr 2s and a Gr 1 (JC Photos)
KZN had another Graded race success on the Highveld over the weekend when the Summerveld-based Stuart Ferrie-trained Gladatorian added to his impressive Turffontein record by winning the Gr 2 Betway Jo’Burg Spring Challenge over 1450m on the Inside track. There should be more KZN raiding success this season and Duncan Howells has two horses, Asiye Phambili and Hierarchy, who are set to travel, while an ex-horse of his, Kazenyoni, is all set to be flown to Hong Kong after being sold.
Gladatorian will avoid the Gr 2 Allied-Steelrode Onamission Charity Mile as he would have to carry roundabout 63kg and would have to give lumps of weight away in that race, but he is likely going to have a tilt at the Gr 2 R6 million Betway Summer Cup over 2000m on the last Saturday of November.
Before Saturday Gladatorian had run three times at Turffontein for a second in the 2023 Gr 3 New Turf Carriers Merchants over 1160m on the Standside course to subsequent Gr 1 winner Dyce, a fourth in the 2024 Jo’Burg Spring Challenge and a flying second in the 2024 Charity Mile.
On Saturday he was backed in from 10/1 to 4/1 favourite.
Stuart had been confident going in.
He said, “I fancied him, he had been working really well, he was his old self.”
Tristan Godden was aboard as his regular rider Sean Veale was serving a suspension.
Godden allowed the seven-year-old Vercingetorix gelding to do his own thing from the off, just sitting still after a fair break from draw four. He found himself three from the back and was one off the rail with plenty of cover.
Gladatorian relaxed superbly and when Godden let him go at the 400m mark he still had a ton in hand.
He had a nice clear run and when he reached the 200m mark, he was in top gear and looked likely to catch the front-running 1400m specialist I’m A Fireball.
He caught the latter in the shadow of the post and won going away by 0,90 lengths with Godden able to do a Veale-like salute as he passed the line.
I’m a Fireball secured an exacta for the superstar sire Vercingetorix.
Stuart said yesterday at Summerveld, “Gladatorian traveled back well and was bouncing this morning.”
The weight spread in the Summer Cup is just 6kg with the topweight carrying 60kg, so those conditions would suit this 127-rated galloper.
However, Stuart said, “The Summer Cup is his only option, although maybe the 2000m is just at the end of his limit.”
