The devastating form of Gauteng trainer Sean Tarry continued at the weekend with his three-year-old Count Dubois gelding French Navy sailing through in the finish to win the R2-million, Grade 1 Daily News 2000 and ensuring his crowning as the Champion Trainer of South Africa for the current season.

Ridden with great confidence by jockey Raymond Danielson, and having also won of the Grade 1 SA Classic at Turffontein in March, the powerful bay laid claim to the title of top three-year-old male in South Africa and cemented his place in the field for the R3.5-million, Grade 1 Vodacom Durban July.

Shortly before that, the 12-1 chance Smart Call from the Alec Laird stable caused an upset in the R1-million, Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 when she gave her sire Ideal World his first Grade 1 success beating home Pine Princess and Trophy Wife.

The Grade 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup was won in fine style by the Dynasty gelding Solid Speed adding yet another win to Cape trainer Dean Kannemeyer’s outstanding run of success this season. It was the four-year-old gelding’s third straight win since coming to Durban.

In the Daily News 2000 expectations were that favourite The Conglomerate along with Ertijaal and Deputy Jud, were likely to fight out the finish and when The Conglomerate and Ertijaal came together in the home straight it all seemed to be going to plan. Ertijaal gained the upper hand and set sail for the judge but out of the pack, having found a gap from the middle of the field, French Navy shifted into top gear and joined Ertijaal in the final dash to the line, finishing the stronger and going on to win by 1.25 lengths.

The Conglomerate stayed on to secure third place ahead of Rampant Ice and Mac De Lago.

In the post race interview, Tarry praised owner Chris van Niekerk for his support and the manner in which he did not interfere in the preparation of his horses allowing Tarry freedom to train the runners as he saw fit. He said the five-week break between the SA Derby and the Daily News 2000 this year – compared to the four or even three weeks of previous years – had allowed him time to freshen the gelding up for this race.

He felt French Navy did not quite get the 2 450m of the Derby in the soft going but praised the laid-back Danielson for a perfect ride. He quipped that Danielson was so laid back that at times “you almost had to take his pulse to see if he was alive.”

Danielson said in his interview that he had told Tarry after the first time he rode French Navy that the gelding had a lot of potential. He said he had feared there would not be a pace in Saturday’s race but he felt the pace was on as the gelding was off the bridle. “But he picked it up going through the 800” and when he found a way through a tight field the gelding took off and won very impressively.

For trainer Mike de Kock the day was not the best the stable had enjoyed, starting off with the withdrawal of his star filly Majmu from the Woolavington 2000 a few hours before the start of the meeting, reportedly having spiked a temperature. However, it might not have been too much of a disappointment for De Kock who, in a pre-race interview recorded earlier in the week, he had not appeared that excited about the filly taking part in the race.

His chances in the classic event for fillies was left to his SA Oaks winner Pine Princess to fly the flag and she came close to pulling it off but for a sustained finishing run by Smart Call who came up on her outside and beat her to the line by about a neck.

Having been a pace-maker in a few of her previous races, it could have been assumed by other riders in the race that she would once again go out to make the running but this time Weichong Marwing held her back and Anthony Delpech took Pine Princess to the front ahead of Tamaanee with Smart Call slotting in third. Pine Princess shook off the attentions of Tamaanee in the straight and looked on course for victory until Smart Call unleashed her finishing effort with her and Pine Princess fighting it out to the line.

Trainer Alec Laird said after the race that he had decided to give the ideal World filly her last crack at a Grade 1 race and had changed tactics, allowing her to be settled in instead of going to the front and that tactic had worked out. He said he had always thought that on pedigree Smart Call would stay the distance.

Inara from the Mike Bass stable that had started favourite for the race, ran well below her best to finish just out of the placings when touched off by a fast-finishing Zante for fourth place.