DATE: Saturday, 18 July 2015
AGE/ CONDITION: Open WFA over 1200m
ENTRIES: 11:00am Friday, 3 July 2015 – Fee: R 1710
SUPP ENTRIES: 11:00am Friday, 10 July 2015 – Fee R 6840
WEIGHTS: Friday, 3 July 2015
DECLARATIONS: 11:00am Monday, 13 July 2015 – Fee R 6840
2014 Mercury Sprint
Horse: FLY BY NIGHT
Jockey: Anthony Delpech
Trainer: Mike Bass
Owners: Messrs M J Jooste, Bryn Ressell & N M Shirtliff
Breeder: Patricia Devine Investments (PTY) Ltd
ABOUT: The Mercury Sprint
THE ULTIMATE TEST OF SPEED
Racing at level weights is the only true assessment of thoroughbred supremacy and the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint over 1 200m at Clairwood is the ultimate test for sprinters in South Africa and the result often determines the Equus Champion Sprinter of the season.
First run in 1976 as the Natal Flying Championships, it has been the Mercury Sprint since 1986 and is the longest running media-sponsored race in South Africa.
Attracting the best speed horses in the land, it has invariably produced close and exciting finishes and racegoers will never forget the sensational neck and neck duel between stable companions Springing Leopard and Splendid Ann in 1988 who raced clear of the field and fought it tooth and nail to the line with the filly just shading Springing Leopard in the final strides.
Outstanding performances have been recorded by the likes of Signor Amigo, Flobayou, Jet Master and the magnificent National Currency.
ROLL OF HONOUR:
2014
Fly By Night grabs Mercury Sprint
For the second year running, it was a filly that led the field home in the country’s premier weight-for-age Grade 1 sprint at Clairwood in Durban with the daughter of Jet Master, Fly By Night, putting in a devastating late run to win the R750 000 Mercury Sprint.
Last year it was the Vaughan Marshall-trained filly All Is Secret that took the honours as champion What A Winter, in his final race and expected to go out in a blaze of Glory, was beaten into third place.
Fittingly, it was Cape trainer Mike Bass, who had suffered the disappointment of What A Winter’s failure last year, who was to lead in his charge with assistant trainer Robert Fayd’Herbe after Saturday’s race for owners Markus Jooste, Bryn Ressell and Marsh Shirtliff who could not attend the final feature race meeting at the southern Durban course.
The four-year-old filly had drawn some support but was easy to back at 9-2 behind favourite Copper Parade at 33-10 and Here Comes Billy at 4-1 with the race looking fairly open. Normanz had been scratched after being injured in the saddling enclosure when he became fractious and leaped from his saddling stall into the adjacent stall.
Fly By Night, ridden by Anthony Delpech, looked a picture on the way to the start and in the early stages raced just off the pace set early by Casual Var and Barbosa. As they approached the business end of the race Fly By Night was looking for a gap on the outside fence and when it opened she barged through with a flashing finish to beat Copper Parade and Showmetheway with Midnight Run taking fourth spot.
It was almost a repeat performance of that which the filly delivered at Scottsville in The City Of Pietermaritzburg SA Fillies Sprint when she flashed up late to fail beating Via Africa by a head.
Delpech said after the race that at one stage, when looking for the gap, he had through of shouting to be let through but he knew that had he done that, “they would have shut me out.”
Run at Clairwood from its inception in 1986, it was the final Mercury Sprint to be run at Clairwood which has been sold and is to become part of the planned new deep-water harbour for Durban.
2013
It had been announced that champion sprinter What A Winter would make his racing swansong in this race and he was duly expected to make it a memorable winning one. He was obviously the short-priced favourite having won his last four starts, two at Grade 1 level, in spectacular fashion. He was seen as being invincible but the stable and large crowd were stunned when he was beaten into third place.
The 25-1 outsider All Is Secret from the Vaughan Marshall stable had set a cracking gallop from the start and the crowd waited for What A Winter to shift up a gear and run the filly down in the finish. He had raced up handy on the outside of the field but when it came to the business end of the race the champion just failed to fire and All Is Secret ran on strongly to win.
What A Winter then had to suffer further humiliation when the mare Welwitschia from the Mike de Kock stable flew up late to deny him even second place.
It was a sad end to a wonderful career and trainer Mike Bass was at a loss to explain the disappointing performance.
For trainer Marshall it was another great achievement in this top sprint event which he had won before. All Is Secret was given a rest after this race while What A Winter was retired to stud.
2012
It was on the cards that the Western Winter colt What A Winter had the ability to win Saturday’s R600 000, Grade 1 Mercury Sprint over 1 200m at Clairwood – the only question in the minds of punters was whether the real What A Winter would appear.
Seeing the four-year-old in the parade ring he looked every part the horse to beat, focused and fit and tuned to perfection by trainer Mike Bass. On the way to the start he moved smoothly and effortlessly and it was clear that at the weights, the rest of the field would be racing for second place.
And the colt did not disappoint.
In the hands of Bernard Fayd’Herbe, he leapt from stall 12 on the outside of the field and slipped neatly in behind the flighty filly Chocolicious and the Gauteng raider Midnight Serenade, just striding sweetly and patiently. The leading pair soon cried enough and Bernard gave What A Winter a bit of rein which saw him lengthen his stride as second favourite Delago Deluxe, winner of the Golden Horse Casino Sprint, got the nod from jockey Anton Marcus and moved up in the middle of the course.
What A Winter was striding beautifully up the outside of the course and when Bernard asked him the question it was all over bar the shouting. Delago Deluxe produced a spirited finish but the three-year-old made no impression on the top Cape sprinter who went on to win by nearly three lengths in a time just 0.70 secs outside the course record of 67.06 secs set by the superstar J J The Jet Plane four years ago.
2011
The Grade 1 Mercury Sprint consolidated its status as the country’s leading weight-for-age sprint with another thrilling finish where the result was in the balance right up to the dying stages of the race.
In a race that was seen as being wide open with the three-year-olds Magico and Splash Gold as the two disputing the top of the betting boards but not as strong favourites, the race proved that at weight-for-age anything can happen and in this case it was the four-year-old Var gelding August Rush that came to the fore under a superb ride by Bernard Fayd’Herbe to lift the winner’s cheque.
2010
J J The Jet Plane stamped himself as one of South Africa’s best ever sprinters at Clairwood yesterday when annihilating a Grade 1 field as if out on an exercise gallop.
The five-year-old Lucky Houdalakis-trained Jet Master gelding opened at very generous odds of 16-10, probably on the grounds that he had recently missed 10 days of work, and started at 9-10.
However, it was clear almost from the off that he was his usual self, assuming the lead immediately and with a tailwind behind him the only question was whether he would need a parachute to slow down.
He passed the post 5,5 lengths lengths clear of Gaultier and the time was just 0,17 seconds outside the course record. Strydom confirmed afterwards that he was the best sprinter he had ever ridden.
2009
Our Giant pulverized the field to win the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint by 4,25 lengths at Clairwood racecourse.
The Charles Laird trained Australian bred star had only once run a sprint shorter than 1400m before, and was full value for the win, especially after recovering from the 2 200m Vodacom Durban July just 15 days before.
The five year old gelding Giants Causeway started as tote favourite although the Mike de Kock trained Centaur and Mike Bass’ Gaultier topped the bookmakers boards at 4-1.
Our Giant, with Anton Marucs in the saddle, was content to sit behind the leading pack, until he was shown the inside at the 400m mark and responded with an impressive burst of speed before surging clear in the closing stages.
The Dennis Drier trained Sharks Bay also came off the pace to run well for second, ahead of Exctinct, with Wethreekings holding off Blue Tiger for fourth.
Our Giant was the first of many Australian bred horses’ trainer Charles laird chose for his biggest owners Markus and Ingrid Jooste, and has proved to be very good and versatile campaigner.
