Surjay wins the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint from a possibly unlucky Lucky Lad, who was never able to get balanced in the straight after being bumped by fourth-placed Sun Blushed, and thus might not have quite been able to get his renowned finish into top gear. (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
Cape Breeders
Champion Vercingetorix came up with his tenth Grade One winner on Sunday, when his son Surjay won the G1 Mercury Sprint (1200m) at Hollywoodbets Greyville.
The gutsy Surjay also became Vercingetorix’s 41st stakes winner with his triumph on Sunday.
Trained by Brett Crawford, the five-year-old had finished second in the 2023 Mercury Sprint and duly went one better this weekend.
Under Luyolo Mxothwa, Surjay hit the front 200m from home from a handy position and stayed on gamely to hold off a wall of challenges and win by nearly three parts of a length.
Bred by the late Jim Antrobus, Surjay has now won five of 26 starts and he has earned R1 403 475 in prize money.
he is owned by Suzette and Basie Viljoen.
Surjay, who is out of the Badger Land mare Something Of Value, provided Vercingetorix with a second feature race win on Sunday, with Vercingetorix gelding Get Impressed winning the Listed World Pool with Tabgold Darley in smart style.
Vercingetorix has 15 lots on offer at the August Two Year Old Sale, including a half-sister (Lot 109) to G1 Cape Racing Presents the Cape Guineas winner Russian Rock, and a half-brother (Lot 180) to Triple Crown winning sire Malmoos.
Mxothwa said, “He’s been the bridesmaid to the likes of Lucky Lad and Thunderstruck. He seems to have always just got beat on the line. James and Brett gave me the thumbs up on Friday, to say the horse was flying. This is my first group 1 for the season and it’s the last group 1 meeting for the season, so I’m really glad. I know this horse like the back of my hand and I had the draw, so I knew he could do whatever I asked him. The plan was to be one off and have one in front of me, and just bide my time. If he was going to quicken, it was going to be up to him. I gave him the best chance I could give him in the race. The rest was history”.
James Crawford said, “I think we over-prepared him for the Gold Horse Sprint and it was a flat run. We opted to miss the Post Merchants and just freshen him up, get him well and get him ready for this race. It was a great plan, it worked out perfectly and the bridesmaid has become the bride. I was watching all three of our runners, but Surjay turned it on again at the 300m mark and that’s when I thought it was game-on and we’re in. It’s been a great season as we’ve reached some goals and long may it continue”.
Brett Crawford said, “I think the key today was missing the Post Merchants. He had a shocking draw, so the decision was made for us. He likes to race fresh and may have gone into the Golden Horse slightly overdone. When I saw him, he looked amazing and really thought he would run a big race. He’s been beaten in a few, so I’m pleased he’s got his day in the sun”.
Suzette Viljoen said, “Surjay so deserves this win. Surjay grew up 5 kilometers from our farm at Hopes and Dreams … so he came from our valley. I won this race with Captain’s Ransom and decided this morning to wear a bracelet with Captain’s Ransom’s tail. I believe it’s God’s grace. Basie didn’t want to come here, but am so glad he came, so that he can’t tell me I told you so!”