Smart gelding Sir Sway to kickstart campaign at Morphettville on Saturday

Sir Sway surprised his trainers when he won the Redelva Stakes in April, and they again want him to show his tenacity when he resumes at Morphettville on Saturday.

Sir Sway wins the Listed Redelva Stakes in April at Morphettville. Picture: Makoto Kaneko

Sir Sway was an impressive yet surprising winner of the Listed Redelva Stakes (1100m) at Morphettville in April, he even surpassed the expectations of his trainer Jason Jaensch.

Against a quality field that boasted Group winners Stretan Angel, Gumdrops and Treasurway, Sir Sway showed plenty of heart to produce a gritty win, and the four-year-old resumes at Morphettville on Saturday.

“I didn’t really think he had that quality about him, he’s a very average track worker, so you don’t really see a lot out of him,” Jaensch, who trains in partnership with his mother Sue, said.

“After his second win at Penola, we thought we are sort of going to have to chuck him in the deep end now and see what he can do in the city.

“It was good to see him progress through, but I didn’t quite think he was going to be that type of horse to go through like that.”

It's an upset in the Listed Redelva Stakes 😲

Sir Sway ($31) holds off Stretan Angel & makes it four wins from six starts 👏 pic.twitter.com/3yxPQXzxaA

— Racing.com (@Racing) April 13, 2024

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A follow-up run saw the gelding finish a competitive sixth in the Group 2 Tobin Bronze Stakes (1200m), before he was sent for a four-month spell.

Redelva runner-up Stretan Angel then went on to run second in the Group 1 The Goodwood (1200m) in May.

Jaensch said Sir Sway, a four-time winner from seven starts, has returned a more professional proposition this time in, and values his determination – which was on show in his stakes-level win when headed at the top of the straight.

“He’s returned very well, he seems to have matured a bit and become more of a racehorse than what he was last time,” he said.

“He’s got a fair bit of fight about him, which is good to see, there’s a little bit of dirt in him which mum and I don’t mind.

“It means they’ve got that little bit of fight about them, that they can try and fight on when they get headed.

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In-form apprentice Taylor Johnstone will ride Sir Sway on Saturday in a Benchmark 70 over 1100m.

Pending on Saturday’s return, Jaensch has got his eyes on the W H Wylie Handicap (1100m) on September 14, while a run in Melbourne also looms as a possibility if his form warrants it.

“If he goes all right in that (Wylie), maybe I’ve got to look at Melbourne as it’s sort of hit or miss in Adelaide with spring racing,” he said.

Originally published as Smart gelding Sir Sway to kickstart campaign at Morphettville on Saturday