South Africa’s reigning Champion Sire, Gimmethegreenlight, came up with his 39th stakes winner when his son Vikram produced a career best performance to win Saturday’s G2 Cape Merchants (1200m) at Kenilworth.

Making his first start since February, the Andre Nel trained gelding was given a finely judged ride by Sandile Mbhele, with Mbhele bringing his mount with a strong late run which saw the pair get up in the shadow of the post to score by nearly half a length,

In landing Saturday’s R175 000 sprint, the Vikram accounted for a trio of G1 winners in the form of Russet Air, Ambiorix and Russian Rock respectively.

Bred by Lammerskraal, six-year-old Vikram has now won five of 18 starts for earnings of R440 787.

Out of the Western Winter mare Vermilion, Vikram was a R675 000 buy from the 2017 Cape Premier Yearling Sale.

The gelding is bred on the same Gimmethegreenlight/Western Winter cross as fellow graded stakes winners Gimme Dat and Lady Of Steel, as well as Zimbabwean Horse Of The Year Simona.

Vikram’s champion sire Gimmethegreenlight went close to enjoying a graded stakes double on Saturday with the son of More Than Ready also sire of Saturday’s G2 Concorde Cup runner up Cosmic Highway. (Gimmethegreenlight’s top-class daughter She’s A Keeper caught the eye when taking fifth in the Merchants).

It is a second week in a row that Gimmethegreenlight has provided a new graded stakes winner, with the Varsfontein Stud resident also responsible for the previous Saturday’s G3 Fillies Mile heroine Follow Me.