GUSTAVUS Weston took his tally of victories to four, three of them in group races, when he comprehensively won the Group 3 Rathasker Stud Phoenix Sprint Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday for the second time. He has won at Group 2 level, landing the Weatherbys Ireland Greenlands Stakes earlier this year.

Alfred Sweetnam’s winner was cheered home by Richard and Stephen Giles, and hopefully all connections will get an opportunity to do so again and again – and even at Group 1 level. This five-year-old gelding is a son of the Irish National Stud’s Equiano (Acclamation), and he is named after Olaudah Equiano, who was also known during his lifetime as Gustavus Vassa (a son of Equiano who won for Andy Oliver) and Gustavus Weston.

A writer and abolitionist, Equiano was enslaved as a child, taken to the British West Indies and sold to a captain in the Royal Navy, and later to a Quaker trader. Eventually, he earned his freedom in 1766 and went to live in London.

The equine Gustavus Weston was bred by Micheál Orlandi and John Harrod and sold as a foal at Tattersalls Ireland for €15,500. Torard House Stud’s Pat Donworth resold him in the same sale ring the following September for a profitable €55,000 to Joe Murphy who trains him. Alfred Sweetnam also owns a four-year-old Cappella Sansevero (Showcasing) half-sister to Gustavus Weston, while the two-year-old own-sister to last weekend’s winner is Kape Moss (Equinao).

Chrissycross

Gustavus Weston is out of Chrissycross (Cape Cross), a three-time winner in England. She was sold for 95,000gns in 2019 and the following spring produced a yearling colt by Tasleet (Showcasing) for Paul Shanahan’s Lynch Bages. A full-sister to a winner, Chrissycross is one of five winners from Penang (Xaar). Though she was only placed, Penang had 10 winning siblings, the best of which was the listed winner and Group 1-placed Badminton (Zieten).

Equiano is best known as the sire of The Tin Man, a triple Group 1-winning sprinter, and the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint heroine Belvoir Bay. His three Group 2 winners are Gustavus Weston, Equilateral and Medicine Jack, and he is now sire of a total of 13 group winners.