Mercurial spearheads Marsh’s Ruakaka team
Richard Edmunds - Raceform • July 11th, 2025 12:30 PM
A change of plans will see Mercurial head to Ruakaka for the first time in his career this Saturday, headlining an interesting team for Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh.
Mercurial was an unlucky last-start fifth over 1200 metres at Te Rapa on June 14. He was entered for a similar race at the same venue last Saturday, but was withdrawn on the morning of the race and saved for this Saturday’s $40,000 Northpine Waipu Cup.
“That Te Rapa track was going to be too testing for him,” Marsh explained. “It was just the amount of rain they got. He’s had no luck in that regard – in the 24 hours or so before his races, the tracks have got a massive deluge. So things haven’t quite worked out in his favour lately.
“I thought we’d keep him for this weekend instead and run him over 1400 metres. He’ll probably need this run, but I reckon he’s going well and can make his presence felt.”
Mercurial’s last start marked the first raceday ride for stable apprentice Jack Taplin, who has subsequently opened his account with a win on Pacifico at Tauranga.
“Jack will keep the ride on Mercurial again on Saturday,” Marsh said. “He’s a promising apprentice who’s going well in this early stage of his career. Being able to claim the four kilos off is a big help for the horse.”
Mercurial has won six of his 37 starts and more than $591,000 in stakes, headed by a triumph over Express Yourself and Bonny Lass in a three-way photo finish to last year’s Gr. 1 Telegraph at Trentham.
The Burgundy gelding has gone winless in 10 starts since then, but has performed creditably with a second in the Gr. 3 J Swap Sprint, third in the Gr. 3 King’s Plate, fourth in the Gr. 3 Sweynesse Stakes and Listed Lightning Handicap, and fifth in the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint.
Marsh is lowering the bar slightly with the rising seven-year-old.
“We’ll look at the open 1300-metre race on Taumarunui Cup Day at Te Rapa in a couple of weeks, then give him a little freshen-up before racing through the spring,” he said. “We won’t be taking on the Group One horses, but there’s still some very good prize-money on offer just below that level and he’s shown that he can still be competitive.”
At the other end of the experience scale, Marsh is excited about the prospects of fellow Ruakaka runners Moretothinkabout and Hakushu.
The blue-blooded Moretothinkabout is a two-year-old colt by So You Think out of the eight-time Group One winner More Joyous. Marsh Racing and Dylan Johnson Bloodstock bought him for A$300,000 from the 2024 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in Sydney.
Moretothinkabout has had three trials, winning the most recent of them at Avondale on June 24.
“He’s a lovely colt,” Marsh enthused. “He’s trialled up very well. He’s probably going to be better over a bit further than this, but we want to give him one run as a two-year-old before putting him aside for next season.
“He’s beautifully bred and we paid a bit of money for him. It would be great if he could kick his career off with a win, but either way, I think he could be a serious three-year-old come the spring and summer.”
Hakushu is a three-year-old son of I Am Invincible and recorded a second, two fourths and a fifth from his first four raceday appearances. The gelding wore blinkers for the first time at Cambridge on June 18 and raised his game significantly, outclassing his maiden rivals by six and three-quarter lengths.
“He was just a bit immature before that and not quite putting things together,” Marsh said. “The blinkers went on last start and he won very impressively and with great sectionals. He galloped particularly well this (Tuesday) morning and has gone the right way. Hopefully he’ll strike a decent track on Saturday. He should be a nice chance if he does.”
