After a disappointing debut run by Acero in December of last year when he finished fourth behind Billy Whizz in the Front Runner Cup, the highly thought of galloper returned on Wednesday, April 7 to record his first win. That victory by Acero came in the maiden Mercury Sprint over the five-straight course (1,000m), a race confined to colts and geldings.

Acero, a three-year-old chestnut colt by Lion Tamer – Electrifying, won by 5 ½ lengths in a an impressive time of 58.3 seconds under apprentice Shane Richardson, a late replacement for Richard Reid.

Running with the visor off and the figure-8 on, the Anthony Nunes trainee shot to the front at the start of the event. The half-brother to notable sprinters Patriarch and Universal Boss, Acero stayed with the field for the first two furlongs, and for a moment it looked like rivals Father Riel and Vanquisher would prove a challenge, but once Richardson got his mount to change through his gears, the race turned into a one-sided affair.

Still looking a little rough around the edges, Acero scooted clear to post an emphatic victory by 5 ½ lengths from Father Riel (Bebeto Harvey) second and Vanquisher (Shane Ellis) third, respectively.

“The first time he ran in December we found out that he was displacing his palate in the race for he was leading comfortably and he just locked off his oxygen. For this race we added a palate to help him with that, he already had a tongue-tie and so we added the figure-8.

“This colt has talent but he just wants to run away at all times. He has to learn how to regulate his pace and take his time in the early stages of the race. I thought he did a better job of that today. I will not be able to tell you whether or not Acero has overcome his issues until he races against better company,” Nunes said.