Tarry sweet on Alice

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Nikita

Champion trainer elect Sean Tarry has three well-drawn runners in the weight for age Gr 1 Mercury Sprint and not surprisingly fancies the dual Gr 1-winner Carry On Alice marginally ahead of the other two Willow Magic and Trip To Heaven. He said, “I would say Carry On Alice would be my first choice, but the other two are close behind. Willow Magic might be wanting a bit further now. I think the course and distance will suit Trip To Heaven quite nicely.” Tarry is not too phased about three-year-old filly Carry On Alice having run just two weeks ago in the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m, “She’s coming back in distance, she pulled a little bit hard, she didn’t give her effort at the end, she’s taken her run well, looks good and is enjoying herself.”

He said about her draw of six in the eleven horse field, “It’s halfway, she can come from off them or go up handy. But it’s a strong field.”

Carry On Alice first met the ruling Mercury favourite Captain Of All in the Gr 1 Cape Flying Championship over 1000m at Kenilworth and on that day she was asked to stand in the stalls for ages, while others including Captain of All were taken out, after Normanz had broken through. The colt beat her by 1,5 lengths and Tarry said, “We don’t know what she would have done (without the starting incident).” However, in their next meeting in the weight for age Gr 1 Computaform Sprint over 1000m she was 3,3 lengths ahead of Captain Of All. Tarry is not taking that form to literally and also does not believe the soft going on the day was necessarily in Carry On Alice’s favour. He pointed to Captain Of All’s next run when carrying topweght to an impressive 1,25 length victory in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville and said, “Captain Of All’s performance was very good with that weight. It may just be that he reserves his best for Maritzburg, but if not he’s a very good horse. Having said that the price of the second and third horses were 11/1 and 33/1 and we ran fourth with Bichette (16/1).” He also pointed to the times. Carry On Alice, carrying 58,5kg in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint, recorded a time 0,07 seconds quicker than Captain Of All, who was carrying 60kg. She will now be receiving 3kg from Captain Of All, which effectively means that taking the weight for age scale into account she is 2,5kg better off with Captain Of All from the Scottsville comparison. On the other hand Captain Of All did have to come from a tougher draw than Carry On Alice had to contend with at Scottsville.

The four-year-old Willow Magic, who won the Gr 1 SA Nursery over 1160m as a two-year-old, is drawn well in three. He last ran over course and distance in the Gr 2 Post Merchants and was caught late by Daring Dave and Moofeed to be beaten narrowly. Tarry said, “It was a good effort but I do think that the false start would have affected him more than most horses.” He said about the draw, “He can be used but I don’t think he has to pace it out with them, it also depends on the pace. He likes this course and we might leave him in the Champions Cup next week. He’s only run the mile twice and won the Dingaans and then finished second in the Gold Challenge to Legislate.”

The talented three-year-old colt Trip To Heaven has a plum draw of two and could be the dark horse as he finished just 0,25 lengths behind the classy sprinter Trip Tease when facing him on just 1kg worse than weight for age terms in January over a possibly too sharp 1000m. He had won the Gr 2 Post Merchants over 1160m in fine style before that when officially 1,5kg under sufferance. He hasn’t run since facing Trip Tease and Tarry said, “He didn’t pull up well and he is a horse that you have to work quite carefully with, so he wouldn’t have been ready for Scottsville and this is his next and last opportunity.” He doesn’t think that the strange course will affect him and added, “He can use that draw. He is very versatile, he can come from last or lead, it just depends how hard they go.”

Tarry runs the Rebel King filly Rebel To The Fore, who won on debut over 1000m, in the Gr 2 Debutante over 1200m, and said, “She won a five furlong so she’s got enough speed, but I don’t think she’s limited to a sprint.” She came from a bit off them on debut so the draw of eight is not much of a concern and he added, “I think she’s definitely got a nice future and having a look at the field she has a chance.”

He runs Enchanted Silk and City Of Athens in the Listed Off To Stud Stakes over1600m on the polytrack. The former is joint second best in at the weights and has shown both in her last race and at home that she loves the poly, although Tarry regards her ideal trip as being 1700-1800m. The latter often doesn’t try her hardest, but does have ability. She is 3kg under sufferance with the best in, but Tarry believes she is worth taking a chance with as he reckoned wearing blinkers for the first time on the poly might help her.

He runs Eva Tibbs in the Listed Queen Palm Stakes over 2400m, where she is 2,5k under sufferance with the best in. However, Tarry pointed out that she was a touch unlucky when finishing a five length fourth to the promising stayer Wild Ash in a Listed event over 2450m, so he is hoping she can earn black type here.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Carry On Alice (Nkosi Hlophe)

Media Release: Mercury Sprint Raceday

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Nikita

The flashy Australian-bred colt Brazuca, just touched off in a thrilling finish by favourite Seventh Plain in the R600 000, Grade 1 Durban Golden Horseshoe on Vodacom Durban July Day at Greyville on Saturday, heads the entries for the R200 000, Grade 2 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1 200m at Greyville on Mercury Sprint day on Saturday, July 18.

The race is one of four supporting events for the country’s premier weight-for-age sprint, the R750 000, Grade 1 Mercury Sprint, that was previously run at Clairwood and will now be run at Greyville for the first time.

The meeting will also see the running of “The Rider Cup”, the inter-provincial jockey challenge for South African riders over four races with four-man teams from KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the Western Cape competing for total prize money of R100 000.

Trained by Johan Janse van Vuuren, Brazuca ran a fantastic race under jockey Weichong Marwing and looked a winner until Anton Marcus got a last-stride thrust from Seventh Plain to snatch the result by a short head.

Also among the entries for the Umkhomazi Stakes is the Michael Roberts-trained Argonaut gelding Natal that went down by about a head to Cutting Edge in the R1-million KZN Yearling Sale Million that closed off the country’s biggest meeting.

Buckinghamshire, the Australian-bred colt from the Justin Snaith stable that inflicted the only defeat on Seventh Plain when they met over 1 000m in the Cape, is also among the entries.

The Debutante, the two-year-old race for fillies, has attracted 22 entries including the SA Nursery winner Frosted Honey and Speedy Suzy that finished fourth in the Allan Robertson Championship.

In the Off To Stud Stakes for four-year-old fillies and mares over 1 600m, the winner of the Track And Ball Handicap at Greyville on July Day, Resolution from the Charles Laird stable, is among the 25 entries along with the consistent Dennis Drier filly Gathering Fame and San Trip from the Mark Dixon yard that finished third in the Scarlet Lady.

The Queen Palm Stakes is for fillies and mares over 2 400m and has attracted 18 horses headed by Ash Cloud, Gallica Rose and Vino Veritas that filled the first three places in the Gold Circle Oaks at Scottsville recently. Also among the entries is the Neil Bruss-trained Ideal World filly Zante that ran a great race at 33-1 to finish fourth in the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000.

Decisions to be made for Legislate

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Nikita

Last year’s Vodacom Durban July hero Legislate will gallop this morning and how he goes will have a big bearing on whether he drops back to 1 200m for the Mercury Sprint at Greyville on Saturday July 18.

Justin Snaith said yesterday: “We are not desperate to run – we have the whole summer ahead of us – but if we think he is in a good place, that everything is spot on and that he would have a chance of running into the money then he will run.

“We are also waiting on the nominations for the Champions Cup with him. At this stage it looks like Futura will run in that race.”

The nominations for the Champions Cup (July 25) were due to close last Friday but will not now be known until 11.00am today.

Legislate returned to his best to make all the running in last month’s Rising Sun Gold Challenge after a virus caused him to disappoint in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and miss the J & B Met. He then had to be scratched from the Drill Hall after hurting himself in the pens.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Legislate (Liesl King)

All about the race

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Nikita

DATE: Saturday, 18 July 2015

AGE/CONDITION: 4-year-old and older Fillies and Mares over 1600m

ENTRIES: 11:00am Friday, 3 July 2015 – Fee: R 342

SUPP ENTRIES: 11:00am Friday, 10 July 2015 – Fee: R 1368

WEIGHTS: Friday, 3 July 2015

Benchmark at 61,5 kg = 100 or more Benchmark at 60,0 kg = 95 to 99 Benchmark at 58,5 kg = 90 to 94 Benchmark at 57,0 kg = 85 to 89 Benchmark at 55,5 kg = 80 to 84 Benchmark at 54,0 kg = 75 to 79 Benchmark at 52,5 kg = 70 to74 Benchmark at 50,0 kg = 69 and below The winner of this race will not in cur a penalty of more than 6 Rating points. There will be no rating increase for placed horses.

DECLARATIONS: 11:00am Monday, 13 July 2015 – Fee: R 1231

2014 Off To Stud Handicap

Horse: Luna De Victoria

Jockey: Glen Hatt

Trainer: Brett Crawford

Owners: Mr A F J Duncan

Breeder: Mr A F J Duncan

ROLL OF HONOUR:

2014

No	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Al/Bl	Kg	Dr	Fin	Dist	Time	OP	SP
3	LUNA DE VICTORIA	Glen Hatt	B Crawford	A	56.0	3	1	0.00	100.91	7/2	33/10
5	HIJACKED	Anthony Delpech	D Kannemeyer	A	54.5	4	2	2.75	101.44	9/2	4/1
4	DIVA’S DAUGHTER	Sean Cormack	S J Snaith	A	55.5	8	3	3.25	101.54	6/1	6/1
8	LADY TATTY	Keagan De Melo	G H Van Zyl	A	52.5	2	4	3.50	101.59	12/1	7/1

Luna De Victoria won the next race, the Off To Stud Handicap over 1 600m, in the style of a good horse. This four-year-old Victory Moon filly is a half-sister to one of the most exciting two-year-olds in the country, the Joey Ramsden-trained Dynasty colt Act Of War, and now that she also has bold black type, she has become a valuable broodmare prospect.

She is a difficult customer at home and Crawford said that she required a lot of “TLC’’ in the mornings. However, the effort that the yard have put into her made yesterday’s victory all the more rewarding.

Luna De Victoria started 33-10 favourite as the classy topweight Orator’s Daughter drifted out to 7-2. Luna De Victoria wasn’t easy to restrain in a slow paced race, but eventually settled well towards the outside in about fifth place.

Hatt was content to be patient in the straight, knowing that she had a strong kick, and she duly produced it in the final 200m to go away and win impressively by 2,75 lengths from the consistent Hijacked.

The pacemaker Diva’s Daughter finished third ahead of the luckless Lady Tatty, who had to be checked at a crucial stage when looking threatening. Gold Academy was next best. Orator’s Daughter didn’t enjoy her first outing at Scottsville and trailed in last.

Hatt said afterwards that if Luna De Victoria was not as “highly strung’’ she would have won more races. However, it would be no surprise to see her going to stud now, considering her value. She was bred and is owned by AFJ Duncan.