Three-year-old Teofilo colt Merchant successfully stepped up to Pattern company on Thursday 31 July, winning the G3 Gordon Stakes on a rain-soaked third day of Glorious Goodwood.
William Haggas’s charge was settled towards the rear of the field early on in the 12-furlong contest under Tom Marquand, before making headway two furlongs from home. Despite not finding the ever-softening ground to his liking, Merchant soon moved up to second once asked to quicken and battled bravely close to home to win by a head from Wimbledon Hawkeye, with Dubawi’s son Windlord taking third.
Only out of the frame once in seven starts, Merchant has been climbing the ranks since breaking his maiden last December. Winner of the King George V Stakes at this year's Royal Ascot, he is now likely to head to York for the G2 Great Voltigeur, with a possible tilt at the St Leger also on the cards.
Merchant was bred by Jim Bolger and is out of the unraced Vocalised mare Ceistiu, a full sister to multiple Group winner Steip Amach and from the family of G1 National Stakes victor Scorthy Champ.
Kildangan Stud stalwart Teofilo has been an outstanding sire, with 24 G1 winners to his name. This year, his G1-winning son Nations Pride added another Group victory to his record in the G2 Singspiel Stakes, while First Conquest became a new Group winner for his sire when landing the G3 Dubai Millennium. Teofilo is also firmly establishing himself as a high-quality broodmare sire, with his daughters producing G1 winners Inisherin and Ezeylia in 2024.
