Sean Tarry is now a twice South African Champion trainer and smashed several records last season. His earnings of R27,999,563 beat his own record of R25,924,950 established the previous season. His 209 winners bettered Justin Snaith’s record of 198.

One hallmark many true champions possess is the natural inclination to not dwell upon success. Golf is littered with players who were never quite the same after winning a major. They were perhaps unable to take success in their stride.

Tarry does not fit into this category. Jockey legend Bartie Leisher observed Tarry already looking ahead and planning for the future during the Vodacom Dutban July 2013 post race celebrations in Greyville’s Box 2F. He said, “That’s why he will be the champion trainer.” His predictions did not take long to come true.

Tarry is a team man and one of the most important members is his older brother Mark, who has become one of the most successful buyers in the industry due to his immense knowledge of pedigrees coupled with sheer hard work.

Mark’s reply to a question put by the Sporting Post a few years ago would be inspirational to newcomers to pedigree study. He said, “The most important thing to realize is that any pedigree is made up of individuals, good and bad. It is necessary to understand these individuals, to be able to recognize the desired characteristics in their descendants. Affinities are consistent and often the same elements appear again and again in the best progeny of a particular stallion, and are consistently absent in many of the mediocre progeny of the same stallion. A good mating will succeed consistently, but at varying levels. The power in the pedigree must be consolidated and not diluted. Champions tend to have more symmetry in pedigrees than ordinary horses. It is, however, not necessary to see this in the first five generations. Planning a mating is like a game of Sudoku, you need to get all the lines to win the game.”

He said later in the same interview, “Sean has a very good eye for a horse and will generally only buy a horse that I am adamant about if he likes it physically.”

The success of the pair’s sales strategies were illustrated last season. Six of Tarry’s two-year-old fillies won on debut and together they had an unbeaten streak of seven races. This could well be a South African record. In all 16 individual Tarry-trained two-year-olds won 21 races between them and this could also be a record. The bet of them was likely the Captain Al filly Cloth Of Cloud, who was unbeaten in three races, culminating in victory against the boys in the Gr 1 SA Nursery. She is not the easiest customer, which is a further tribute to the work the yard put in. She was named Equus Champion Two-year-old filly and will likely be a big player in this season’s classics.

However, the star of the Tarry stable was undoubtedly Legal Eagle, who won three Gr 1s including two prestigious weight for age miles. He was duly named Equus Horse Of The Year. He is merit rated 120 and Tarry said during the season, “National Colour and Mythical Flight were freaks, but Legal Eagle is probably the best classic horse I have ever trained.”

Tarry won five Gr1s during the year, the other one being the Computaform Sprint, which was won in scintillating fashion by his Captain Al filly Carry On Alice. Unfortunately, nothing went right for her in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint and for the third year running she was unlucky to be empty-handed at the Equus Awards.

Tarry also won four Gr 2s, nine Gr 3s, five Listed races and six non-Black Type features.

National Champion jockey S’Manga Khumalo rode 18 of these 30 features race winners. Khumalo’s approach during the season was highly professional (with the exception of one infamous ride) and included mentoring from legendary jockey Felix Coetzee. This professionalism saw his partnership with Tarry being cemented.

Tarry’s best finish in one of the lucrative R1 million-and-more Sales Races was a third place finish with Malak Al Moolook in the KZN Breeders Million Mile. This is possibly the most amazing statistic of his season as it means his record earnings were in no way inflated. It also means his earnings potential for the current season are frightening, considering how strong his two-year-old string is.

Mark Tarry has also become passionate racehorse breeder and was instrumental in the planning of the mating which produced Sean’s first July winner Pomodoro, owned and bred by the yard’s loyal client Chris van Niekerk.

Van Niekerk is undoubtedly the proverbial “best horse in the yard”. His blue and red colours go hand in hand with Tarry’s operation and his years of loyalty since the famous fateful phonecall he made way back in 1998 has reaped dividends. However, as a high profile businessman, he would not still be with the yard if there was not mutual trust or if the results were not forthcoming.

David Thiselton