Maine Chance Farms’ exciting young stallion Vercingetorix has made the perfect start to his stud career.
The former Equus Champion had his first two runners on Saturday with his son Astrix running third over 800m at Turffontein, while fellow Vercingetorix two-year-old son Fearless Warrior made an eye catching winning debut at Kenilworth on the same day.
(What makes these results all the more pleasing is the fact that Vercingetorix himself never raced at two).
Bred by Klawervlei Stud (who also bred his sire and dam), the Vaughan Marshall trained colt, the 11-10 tote favourite, was always handy and up with the speed in Saturday’s 1000m maiden juvenile plate and drew off in the closing stages to post a 2.25 length win over fellow first timer and stable mate Path Of Choice.
Fearless Warrior was a R275 000 buy from the 2018 March Yearling Sale.
One of 20 G1 winners for his multiple champion sire Silvano (whose daughter Silvano’s Pride finished second in Saturday’s G1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas), Vercingetorix went unbeaten in five starts in South Africa, with his victories including the 2013 G1 Daily News 2000 and 2013 G2 KZN Guineas.
His unbeaten campaign earned Vercingetorix the title of Equus Champion 3YO Colt for 2013.
Exported to Dubai, Vercingetorix showed his class by winning both the 2014 G1 Jebel Hatta and 2015 G2 Al Rashidiya, and he was also runner up in the G1 Dubai Duty Free and third in Hong Kong’s G1 Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup.
The handsome bay (whose own sister Perfectproportions holds an entry for the upcoming Listed Jamaica Handicap) is out of G3 Champagne Stakes runner up National Vixen and counts G3 Kenilworth Fillies Nursery/G3 Umzimkhulu Stakes winner Trinity House as a half-sister.
This is the family of champions Extra Cover and Scarlet Lady as well as G1 sire Phantom Earl.
Vercingetorix has seven lots on offer at January’s Cape Premier Yearling Sale- including a filly (Lot 21) out of a stakes winning daughter of Captain Al (the broodmare sire of Fearless Warrior) and a colt (Lot 164) out of a Winter Oaks winning half-sister to the stakes winning dam of exported G1 winner Lobo’s Legend.