Vaughan Marshall and Avontuur-sponsored jockey Luke Ferraris opened the feature menu at a morbidly deserted Kenilworth on Cape Town Met day when the good-looking Vercingetorix colt Ambiorix skated clear of his opposition to win the R110 000 Listed Summer Juvenile Stakes.
Attracting plenty of betting support to start at 6-1, Ambiorix showed maturity and smart pace to win impressively by 2,50 lengths in a time of 58,79 secs.
Luke Ferrraris guides Ambiorix to a facile first win (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
He was too strong for debut winner Barzalano (5-1), who looked to have an awkward moment on the rail
The well-bred favourite High Hosanna scuppered her prospects at the start, but was well beaten a further length back in third.
A Cape Premier Yearling Sale R250 000 buy, Ambiorix took his stakes to R66 000.
He is raced by David Allan’s Burns Racing and was bred by Oldlands Stud from South Africa’s Leading Second Season Sire and Leading Sire of 3YO’s last season, Vercingetorix (Silvano) out of the twice winning Indigo Magic mare, Our Darling.
The winning team (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
An Equus Champion, Vercingetorix has made a really very bright start to his stud career, and it was only a matter of days earlier that his undefeated daughter Naarah became her Dad’s first 2yo winner this term – that from just a handful of runners.
The Gr1 Jebel Hatta winning Vercingetorix has three lots on the upcoming Cape Yearling Sale, and a further eight lots on offer at the rescheduled 2021 De Grendel Cape Premier Yearling Sale.
