16 Oct 2021Mercurial handled a rise in class with aplomb when he put away a competitive line-up of three-year-olds at Hastings this afternoon.
A son of the late Burgundy, he had broken his maiden on the synthetic track at Cambridge last month for trainer Stephen Marsh before finishing a sound fourth at Te Rapa.
Mercurial is raced by his syndicate of breeders and is a fine example of a Cambridge Stud cross as he is the first foal Tavistock’s unraced daughter Roxette, who produced a filly by resident stallion Embellish three weeks ago.
Further back in the pedigree are the multiple Group 1-winning brothers Gurner’s Lane and Sovereign Red and their sister Trichelle claimed an edition of the G1 Marlboro Cup.
Mercurial disputed the early pace at Hastings before settling well in the trail, but was denied room along the fence in the straight.
Rider Erin Leighton was forced to ease off heels 200 metres from home and the gelding was a willing partner to dash between runners for a decisive victory.