National Champion trainer Sean Tarry has three runners in the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 and two in the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 and all of them are capable of upsetting the odds.

Heaps Of Fun (JC Photos)

His first choice rider S’Manga Khumalo is aboard SA Classic and SA Derby third-placed Samurai Blade in the Daily News 2000 and Tarry said, “He is doing well and all three runs for us have been good. He took a while to find top gear at Turffontein and if they go a canter-sprint in his first run at Greyville it could catch him out. He has a bad draw (16 out of 16) … It is all very well holding them back for the July, but he could end up being drawn badly there too and things can also go wrong in the July, so, being well now, he must take his chances.”

He said about Prospect Strike, “I think his run in the Canon Guineas was very good considering he worked so much harder than the rest out wide and still finished only 2,4 lengths back. I think he is probably looking for this trip.  A sprint-miler will normally be able to come back from a layoff and win comfortably when so well in at the weights as he was in his two comeback runs (over 1000m and 1200m) and when he was beaten in the first of them and then had to work hard to win the second it was the tell-tale sign that those trips were now way too sharp for him.”

Tarry’s decision to take the Toreador gelding back to Johannesburg after the Canon Guineas had been a “trade off.”

He said, “It means two journeys of eight hours, but he has had some serious issues and I would not want to be chopping and changing tracks with him. Obviously if he is going to run in another race in Durban he won’t travel a third time.”

Tarry confirmed Summerveld assistant Dishone Steyn’s upbeat reports about Dynasty colt Liege and said, “He was in fantastic shape when he went down to Durban and won impressively on the poly. Dishone said he has been ticking over nicely since.”

Liege (Nkosi Hlophe)

Prospect Strike also has a wide draw of 15, but has in form Grant van Niekerk aboard, while Liege is drawn nine and has SA Triple Crown-winning jockey Karl Zechner up.

Tarry revealed Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas winner Heaps Of Fun had pulled up with severely strained muscles after her disappointing SA Fillies Classic run.

He said, “Her ordinary run there had nothing to do with being caught wide or the trip being too far. I decided to bring her back from that run with a sprint (Gr 2 Camelia Stakes over 1160m) and she ran on very well for third. She is now in good shape and I think she will stay the trip.”

He continued, “Witchcraft’s SA Oaks run can have a line drawn through it, just nothing went right for her.” She was drawn wide and was then caught wide and the writing was on the wall from a long way out.

Before that she had won well over 2000m at Turffontein and was doing some good late work when running a 3,8 length fifth in the SA Fillies Classic, suggesting she would prefer further.

Khumalo rides Visionaire filly Heaps Of Fun from draw ten and Brandon Lerena is aboard Kahal filly Witchcraft from draw six.

Tarry runs Serissa in the Gr 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m and said, “He’s a soldier, he didn’t go hard enough in the 1900 last weekend.” He is likely to lead this time and has proven his liking for the trip before.

Liege and Serissa have been prepared at Summerveld and all of the others will be travelling down from Randjesfontein.

By David Thiselton

In-form jockey Muzi Yeni was left looking for another Gr 1 Daily News 2000 ride when his guv’nor Duncan Howells kept Brandon Lerena aboard the yard’s chief contender, Ten Gun Salute, and he will consequently be riding the biggest outsider, the Brian Wiid-trained Bankable Teddy.

Muzi Yeni (Nkosi Hlophe)

He is also aboard an outsider in the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000, the Luis Cunha-trained Ruler Of The Sky.

Yeni said, “I can only hope Bankable Teddy reproduces his Derby Trial run, that was over this trip and maybe he didn’t stay the trip in the SA Derby.”

The Bankable colt thrashed subsequent SA Derby fourth-placed Stebbins by 4,8 lengths in the Derby Trial and will now be 0,5kg better off with the latter, so can’t be written off jumping from a good draw of four.

Yeni continued, “The trainer rates Ruler Of The Sky.”

This rangy Judpot filly is perfectly drawn in two for her front-running style and looks likely to enjoy the trip. However, she couldn’t win a fillies and mares handicap over 1600m off her 76 merit rating last time, so will require dramatic improvement.

Yeni is aboard the Howells-trained Crime Victim in the Gr 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m and gave him a place chance at best.

“He needs to up his game,” he said. One of the Bezrin gelding’s best career runs was over the course and distance, when a 2,25 length third to Solid Speed in the Highland Night Cup last season and he was only receiving 1,5kg from the winner that day. He scrapes into the handicap on Saturday with the minimum weight and is drawn ten. He looks to have enjoyed a nice preparation and can’t be ignored.

By David Thiselton

Black Arthur, the ruling favourite for the Vodacom Durban July, will not take part in Saturday’s R2-million Grade 1 Daily News 2000 at Greyville but trainer Justin Snaith still goes into the country’s premier classic event with a strong hand

The stable will, however, be going for the local “classic” double with the Dynasty filly Bela-Bela that won the Daisy Fillies Guineas at Greyville two weeks ago and, because of the manner in which she won, is likely to start odds-on favourite for the R1-million Grade 1 Woolavington 2000.

Snaith did not accept with Black Arthur and, according to reports, took the decision with owner Alec Foster to “protect” the horse and to ensure the Silvano colt would not be penalised in the weights for the blue ribbon event.

But he has accepted with two gelded sons of Dynasty, It’s My Turn that won the Investec Cape Derby and Brooklyn Brawler that won his last race over the Greyville mile in a time almost a second faster than Black Arthur’s winning time in the Canon Guineas.

It’s My Turn did not fare well in the Canon Guineas where the Mike Azzie-trained Brave Tin Soldier colt Rabada was just snaffled on the line by Black Arthur. Rabada lines up in the Daily News 2000 but has yet to be tested over the 2 000m trip which could give It’s My Turn the edge.

Rocketball from the Gavin van Zyl stable will have his followers after a brilliant performance in the SA Derby at Turffontein where he nearly upset Abashiri’s bid for Triple Crown glory.

Champion trainer Sean Tarry goes into the race with a four-horse team headed by the Australian-bred colt Samurai Blade that finished third to Abashiri in both the SA Classic and SA Derby and Dean Kannemeyer will be looking for a special performance from Mambo Mime that won the Byerley Turk and finished third by 1.5 lengths to Black Arthur in the Canon Guineas.

Bela-Bela winning the Daisy Fillies Guineas (Nkosi Hlophe)

Bela-Bela will be all the rage to win the Woolavington 2000 not only because of her latest performance at Greyville, but also because of her third behind Smart Call in the Grade 1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes at Kenilworth in January.

She will, however, have to again contend with the attentions of the Mike Bass-trained Silvano filly Nightingale that flew through to finish half a length behind her in the Daisy Fillies Guineas and will most likely relish the extra 400m of this race.

Another that is likely to keep her honest is the Fort Wood filly Negroamara from the Johan Janse van Vuuren stable. She finished third in the 1 600m event and, having finished second in both the Gauteng Fillies Guineas and SA Fillies Classic before that, is another that could shine over the longer trip.

Adding to Bela-Bela’s troubles could also be the Fort Wood filly Fortissima from the Joe Soma yard. She finished second in the SA Derby and won both her starts over 2 000m before that while Tarry will not feel his Visionaire filly Heaps Of Fun is out of the picture having won the Gauteng Fillies Guineas.

The third of the graded races on Daily News 2000 day is the Grade 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2 400m. It has drawn a full field where the Bass stable stalwart Helderburg Blue will be one of the fancied runners having shown a return to his competitive form with a third behind No Worries in the Highland Night Cup.

No Worries from the Van Zyl stable will again be one of his opponents along with Solar Star from the Kannemeyer stable that beat him half a length in the Highland Night, Storm Warning that was third in the Gold Bowl and the gutsy six-year-old Coltrane that has placed in his last three starts over marathon trips including the J&B Stayers and the Chairmans Cup in the Cape.

Smart Mart, fourth in the Gold Bowl and Kingston Mines that was third in the J&B Stayers, are two of the three runners from the Mike de Kock stable in the race.