The Mercury Sprint, since it moved to Greyville, from the straight course at Clairwood, has become a draw bias Gr1 event.

It is also the only WFA Gr1 Sprint left in KZN and the bend takes away from the race it used to be.

Won by the likes of Harry Hotspur, Rotterdam, Extra Cover, Sunera, Splendid Ann, Senor Santa, Goldmark, Senor Amigo (twice) and Flobayou (three times), Jet Master, National Currency, National Colour, JJ The Jet Plane (twice), Captain's Ransom and Isivunguvungu, it is a race steeped in history dating back to 1945.

Known then as the Clairwood Merchants Handicap, it became known as the Mercury Sprint in 1999. It become a weight for age Sprint in 1976 known then as the Natal Flying Championships, up until 1998. The race record is held by JJ The Jet Plane at 67.07s, the first time he won it and at 67.45s he holds the second quickest time ever run as well when he won it two years after the first win.

This year the race is led by the crack 3 year old Sprinter Lucky Lad. Unluckily drawn widest in the field, he will have his work cut out for him. His fans will tell you that he runs from off the pace but a bad draw at Greyville is a bad draw especially between the 1200 and 1600m distance. This draw is the equivalent of around 3 lengths of a handicap as compared to the most optimal drawn horses.

The most intriguing fact is that the general field quality aren't made of superstar material either. He is the highest rated in the field with Royal Aussie one point behind at 124 and Golden Sickle at 122, his chief rivals at the ratings. Neither has won Grade 1 races with Golden Sickle having run particularly badly last time out in the Gr2 Post Merchants. Snow Pilot is the only Grade 1 winner, outside of Lucky Lad, in what was by all accounts one of the weakest Cape Guineas fields in memory. Even Green With Envy, who ran 4th in that race, flopped in the Durban July, his only Group level contest against the older generation, after winning an admittedly nice KZN Guineas and a close Daily News.

Lucky Lad may have cracked a weak Mercury field but the draw is a huge worry. No horse has ever won the race at Greyville from the widest draw. No horse has won it from wider than stall 9 and the race favourite rarely wins the race, at Greyville anyway. 3 of 9 favorites have won the race. They were drawn 7,8 and 3.

Lucky Lad does have ace pilot Richard Fourie in the saddle, who will attempt to add valuable stakes to the Sean Tarry outfit and make him a champion trainer in the race for that title.

Mercury Sprint since it moved to Greyville
2015 Captain Of All drawn 7/11 (2/1f)
2016 Red Ray 9/14 (8/1)
2017 Bull Valley 2/14 (9/2)
2018 Will Pays 4/14 (8/1)
2019 Kasimir 8/14 (9/10f)
2020 Van Helen 1/14 (11/2)
2021 Pearl Of Asia 9/14 (40/1)
2022 Captain's Ransom 3/14 (2/1f)
2023 Isivunguvungu 8/12 (6/1)
 

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