Will this finally be the season that Vercingetorix lifts that elusive General Sires’ title?
Since entering the top five echelon in 2020, the son of Silvano has come close on a couple of occasions.
Pipped on the post by his own sire in 2021/22 and third in 2022/23, only champion Gimmethegreenlight proved his superior last season.
Vercingetorix the victorious – Silvano’s legacy powers on (Pic – Jeremy Nelson)
The Maine Chance stallion has certainly made a cracking start to the current racing season and finds himself at the top of the General Sires List, comfortably ahead of Gimmethegreenlight and Master Of My Fate.
Granted its early days yet, but he is churning out the winners at a pleasing rate, not to mention the fact that his AEPR (average earnings per runner) is way ahead of those behind him.
It is a big ask for any horse to stand alongside his own sire, let alone a stallion of the stature of Silvano, yet Vercingetorix appears to have seamlessly stepped into the giant shoes of his sire, who died in 2021.
To date, he has sired 43 stakes winners, 10 of which having scored at Gr1 level. His seasonal tally currently stands at four, with Rascallion being his latest stakes success.
Rascallion (Gavin Lerena) beats Zapatillas (Kabelo Matsunyane, purple cap), Gimme A Prince (Craig Zackey, yellow cap) and Montien (Anthony Andrews, pink cap) in a nail-biting finish (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Now seven, the veteran proved age is no barrier to stakes success when he posted his third victory at graded level in the Gr3 Cape Mile at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth under a masterful ride from Gavin Lerena.
His success completed also a quickfire double for Vercingetorix, with four-year-old son Daimyo having won the Listed Woolavington Stakes a week before.
Lerena made no secret of his admiration for the Vaughan Marshall-trained veteran, for whom this was a seasonal debut: “That was brilliant, he’s better than ever, he doesn’t feel like a seven-year-old!”
Rascallion has certainly been a loyal servant to owners Marsh Shirtliff and Bryn Ressell, this sixth career victory pushing his stakes earnings to almost R1.9-million.
His string of victories also includes the Gr2 Anthonij Rupert Wyne Premier Trophy at four and last season’s Gr3 Variety Mile. Significantly, some of his most commendable efforts at the very top level have been in defeat, notably this year’s Gr1 Cape Town Met, where he looked set for victory, only to be nabbed late by Double Superlative. As a three-year-old, he was runner-up in both the Gr1 Cape Derby and Gr1 Daily News 2000 and ran third in the Gr1 Cape Guineas.
Daimyo (Joshwin Solomons) registers his maiden stakes victory in the Listed Woolavington Stakes (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Trainer Vaughan Marshall is to be commended for his handling of Rascallion, given that his charge suffered a suspensory injury at four, severe enough to be considered career-ending, and it took considerable patience and skill to restore the horse to full health.
Rascallion is the latest stakes winner out of a daughter of champion Jet Master, who may be long gone, yet continues to make an impact as a broodmare sire, with reigning Horse of the Year Dave The King being a shining example.
Jet Master’s affinity with Vercingetorix has yet to rival that of the success his daughters enjoyed with Silvano, a cross which has yielded seven stakes winners, most notably champion Hawwaam and Gr1 winner Silvano’s Pride.
That may change sooner rather than later, given that Vercingetorix three-year-olds such as Greaterix and Mauritius Kestrel, both black type performers, have the potential to join the stakes ranks this season. The former, who is trained by Mike de Kock, is an intriguing entry for the upcoming Gr1 Hollywoodbets Gr1 Cape Guineas.
Rascallion has another crack at the Met on the radar, having placed sixth in 2023 and second this year. Could it be third time lucky?
If he does manage to pull it off, he will be the first seven-year-old winner since Martial Eagle claimed the honours in 2013.
