Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)
Group One winner Mercurial (NZ) (Burgundy) has been retired from racing and will now embark on a new career as an eventer.
The seven-year-old son of Burgundy won six of his 46 starts for trainer Stephen Marsh, highlighted by his victory in the 2024 edition of the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) where he fought out a tight finish with Express Yourself (NZ) (Shamexpress).
He also placed in the Gr.1 Railway (1200m), Gr.3 J Swap Sprint (1400m), Gr.3 Spring Sprint (1400m) and Gr.3 King’s Plate (1200m), and earned more than $605,000 in prizemoney.
He finished ninth over 1200m at Ellerslie on Saturday and the decision was made to call time on his lucrative career.
“He has been retired and he gets a nice new home as an eventer,” Marsh said.
“He took us to a lot of the big dances and he won a Group One. He was a model of consistency and he retires a sound horse that needs the paddock and the next stage of life where he will be well looked after.
“He has been great and he has given us all a really good ride.”
While he farewelled Mercurial following Saturday’s meeting at Ellerslie, Marsh went home with several pleasing results, including four of his fillies earning black-type.
Go Racing’s juvenile fillies Miss Janet (Home Affairs) and So Fear (NZ) (Ardrossan) finished first and third respectively in the Listed Star Way Stakes (1200m), and while Miss Janet will now head to the spelling paddock, So Fear will likely get another chance at stakes level in next week’s Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre Stakes (1400m) at Te Rapa.
“They (Go Racing) are great owners of ours and to get two pieces of vital black-type is brilliant,” Marsh said.
“Miss Janet has gone to the paddock. So Fear could potentially run in the 1400m two-year-old race at Te Rapa and then she will go for a spell. We are just going to play around with her this week, but she seems to have come through it well so she may go there.”
Stablemates La Diem (Wootton Bassett) and Glance (NZ) (Savabeel) also earned black-type when filling the minor placings in the Gr.3 Championship Stakes (2100m).
“They are two beautifully bred fillies as well and it was great that they got their first piece of black-type,” Marsh said.
“They have come through it well, but they will both head to the paddock now, they have done enough.”
Marsh is hoping his stable’s good run continues this week when he heads to Te Rapa on ANZAC Day where he is particularly excited about his prospects in the Gr.3 Windsor Park Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m).
“The Cambridge Breeders is going to be a very good race,” he said. “We will have the likes of Little Black Dress (Snitzel), Lubeck (Hanseatic), To Cap It All (Capitalist) and Lady Iris (NZ) (US Navy Flag).
“We are also going to back Financier (NZ) (Tavistock) up, I think he will be ready to show up in the Open 1400.”
