Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Merchants winners need to be versatile

David Thiselton
A Greyville race that has a rich history is the Grade 2 Post Merchants over 1 200m, which provides the main Champion Season action this weekend on Friday night.
Although very quick horses that also have the ability to kick are the types that have been most successful in this race, it is not always specialist sprinters that win it. This is what makes the entry this year of Vodacom Durban July second favourite Fort Vogue very interesting.
The race had its first running back in 1936 and was won in that year by one of the all time greats of the South African turf, the Syd Garrett-trained Moonlit, who won the Met in both 1936 and 1938, carrying 145Ib (65,77kg) in the latter.
Two other great horses that won the Merchants were 1952 July winner Mowgli and 1968 Met winner William Penn.
The 1979 July runner up, Sun Tonic, 1987 SA Guineas winner, Sloop, and the 1970 Cape Guineas winner, Shah Abbas, are three other versatile types to have won the Merchants.
In fact even last year’s winner, Sharks Bay, could be considered a sprint-miler having finished third in last season’s Grade 2 KRA Guineas.
Sharks Bay has an interesting link to Moonlit as he is trained by Garrett’s great-nephew, Dennis Drier.
Drier will attempt to make it a Post Merchants double this year with Clearly Silver, who is typical of the type that wins this race as he has plenty of speed and can lie handy before kicking. The downside to his chances is his wide draw of 15.
Fort Vogue, from the Mike Bass yard, will not be ridden by stable jockey Bernard Fayd’herbe, who has opted instead for Gaultier. The latter absolutely thrives in Durban and has won his only start at Greyville too. However, Fort Vogue, can’t be discounted as he is a very classy type who keeps on improving and has plenty of acceleration.
A similar type to Fort Vogue is last year’s Champion’s Cup winner, the Joey Ramsden-trained Ivory Trail, and he too has enough speed to cause a surprise.
Then there is the classy Tyrone Zackey-trained Galanthus who has only won over 1600m and like Fort Vogue is a July entry.
He also has a good turn of foot, so will enjoy Greyville, while Bush Pirate makes up the quota of versatile types and usually runs well at this course.

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