Vercingetorix in his paddock at Maine Chance Farms (Picture: Jeremy Nelson)
The stallion phenomenon Vercingetorix has a chance of breaking his own record for stakes winners in a season, but what has become increasingly noticeable this season is his conveyor belt of winners at virtually every meeting and a look at the stats confirms this as he leads the winners to runner percentage stat for horses who make it on to the first page of the Sires Championship (i.e those who are in the top 20 for their progeny’s stakes earnings).
His winners to runner percentage this season is 40.9%.
He has had 215 runners for 88 winners of 118 races.
Fire Away is second of those on the first page with 40.3% winners to runners.
He has had 62 runners and 25 winners of 34 races.
Canford Cliffs is on a winners to runners percentage of 38.9% with 95 runners and 37 winners of 52 races.
The United States has 38.6% winners to runners with 83 runners and 32 winners of 39 races.
What A Winter has 37.1% winners to runners this season to date with 124 runners and 46 winners of 56 races.
There are sires with higher winners to runners percentages but they fall further down the log due to their relative lack of runners.
Buffalo Bill Cody, who has only had 30 runners, has a winers to runners percentage of 43.3%.
Flower Alley with 47 runners is on 42.6%.
The late Var with 21 runners is on 42.9%.
However, the longer the period of measure the more accurate the statistic of winners to runners will be and a look at a whole season i.e. the whole 2024/2025 season saw Vercingetorix with a winner sto runners percentage of 57.9% with 247 runners and 143 winners of 245 races.
On the first pace the late Lancaster Bomber was second i that stat last season on 49.6% with 115 runners and 57 winners of 92 races.
Rafeef was also high with 48.2% with 166 runners with 80 winners of 122 races.
An out of fashion stallion who is high up on some of the stats is Ideal World.
Last season Ideal World had 55.9% winners to runners with 59 runners and 33 winners of 49 races.
This season Ideal World is on the first page of the Sires list and although to date he only has 33.33% winners to runners with 42 runners and 14 winners of 18 races, he has the highest figure for average earnings per runner at R120,359.
Legislate is second in the average earnings stat this season on R115,714 while Vercingetorix is third on R74,901.
Over the whole season in 2024/2025, Lancaster Bomber had the highest average earnings per runner of R157,169, while Vercingetorix was second on R156,124.
Eight On Eighteen obviously helped Lancaster Bomber lead that statistic last season.
In third place in average earning last season was Master Of My Fate on 108,851 and also above R100,000 on the first page were Gimmethegreenlight (R102,899), the late New Predator (R100,686) and Rafeef (R100,634).
However, the stat that is most important for popularity is the stakes winners stat.
Last season Vercingetorix smashed a record by having 23 black type winners of 33 black type races.
Gimmethegreenlight was second on 14 black type winners of 20 black type races.
Also prominent were Master Of My Fate (10 of 14), Lancaster Bomber (8 of 10) and Rafeef (6 of 9).
This season Vercingetorix leads this stat again with ease with 10 black type winners of 12 races and next best are Master Of My Fate (5 of 5), The United States (4 of 5), Gimmethegreenlight (4 of 4) and Legislate (4 of 4).
Karel Miedema’s raceform records horses Ability Ratings per race (AR) and Vercingetorix dominates that statistic too:
The sires with the most runners in the top 100 AR’s of the season are:
Vercingetorix 19 runners (Top AR: 113)
Rafeef 9 runners (Top AR: 108)
Querari 7 runners (Top AR: 114)
Gimmethegreenlight 6 runners (Top AR: 112)
Master Of My Fate 5 runners (Top AR: 109)
Vercingetorix has also of course smashed records at the Sales as is well documented.
He has probably already made it into the list of South Africa’s best ever sires.
Will he become the best ever i.e. he will likely in that case need to overtake Jet Master?
