South Africa’s reigning champion sire Vercingetorix enjoyed another big day on Saturday.
Not only is Vercingetorix the sire of Saturday’s Listed WSB Aquanaut Handicap winner Daimyo as well as impressive debut winner Good Day Sunshine, but the son of Silvano also ended the day as the Leading Sire at the 2026 Premier Yearling Sale.
The Alec Laird trained Daimyo claimed the third black type win of his career when he made all to win the Aquanaut Handicap (2500m) on Saturday.
Also victorious in the 2024 Listed Woolavington Stakes and 2025 Listed Allied Steelrode Java Stakes, the five-year-old was given a fine, front-running ride by Calvin Habib in Saturday’s R225 000 contest.
Daimyo kicked clear a long way from home, and he kept galloping strongly to win the 2500m feature convincingly by just over two and a quarter lengths.
In the process, the Vercingetorix gelding recorded his fifth win from 19 outings, with Daimyo having earned more than R660 000 in stakes.
Bred by Erasmus Thoroughbreds in partnership with Syrilla Stud, Daimyo races for Messrs K P Nagendran & R V Norton & Mrs C Nagendran.
Out of G1 SA Fillies Classic/G2 SA Oaks winner Juxtapose, Saturday’s winner was a R600 000 buy from the 2022 November Two Year Old Sale.
Daimyo was one of three winners for Vercingetorix at Turffontein on Saturday, with the Maine Chance resident also the sire of eye catching debut winner Good Day Sunshine as well as Slender Silhouette. The latter justified favouritism when she won Saturday’s SA Derby 4 April Maiden Plate over 1000m (vanquishing her paternal half-brother Sosoru into second place).
Vercingetorix was also both the Leading Sire, by Aggregate, and the sire of the top priced yearling sold at this year’s Premier Yearling Sale, which concluded on Saturday.
The Equus Champion was responsible for Caesar’svastghost (Lot 197), who was knocked down to Adam Marcus Racing for R4 500 000 to top the Premier Sale.
Consigned by Winterbach Stud (As Agent), the sales topper is a half-brother to four winners notably G1 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met/G1 Cape Guineas winning sire Double Superlative.
Caesar’svastghost was one of 15 Vercingetorix yearlings to make R1 000 000 or more at the Premier Yearling Sale in 2026.
Vercingetorix, whose son Wreath Of Snow was knocked down for R9 000 000 at the 2025 Premier Sale, ended Saturday’s auction having been responsible for 22 yearlings fetching a gross total of R32.975 million.
The son of Silvano’s yearlings averaged an impressive R1 498 864 at this year’s Premier Yearling Sale.