Schiaparelli may be Britain’s leading provider of steeplechasers but he does also have the occasional runner on the Flat and one of the most consistent in this regard is his six-year-old son Merrijig.
In fact, Merrijig has been his only Flat runner this season and has now taken his tally of wins to three following his victory at Carlisle on Monday in the hands of Gina Mangan in the 2m1f handicap. He also won over 1m6f on Chelmsford’s competitive Good Friday card back in the spring in the colours of the Beverley House Stables Partnership for trainer John Berry, whose wife Emma bred the gelding.
Schiaparelli’s winningmost Flat runner is Maharashtra, who won five of his 14 starts for trainer and co-breeder Michael Herrington. Arguably his best runner on the Flat, however, was the great Cheltenham Festival-winning mare Indefatigable, who won a Pontefract maiden back in 2021.
