David Thiselton

Sean Tarry had a halcyon last day of the season at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday landing the headliner, the Grade 3 Marshalls World Of Sports Gold Cup over 3200m with four-year-old gelding Nebraas and the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes over 1600m with Rain In Holland, both ridden by South Africa’s now three-time national champion jockey Lyle Hewitson whose performance in the latter race was touted by many as the ride of the season.  Tarry spoke about the two wins and his prospects for the forthcoming season. It was Tarry’s second Gold Cup win and third Thekwini.  Nebraas has now run in just two staying events and won both of them. He had showed his suitability to a stamina test in his previous start in the Grade 3 DSTV Gold Vase over 3000m, winning full of running, yet came into the Gold Cup carrying just 52.5kg off a 95 merit rating.
However, Tarry said his program had not been especially planned around the country’s premier staying race.  He said, “He was earmarked for the SA Derby as a three-year-old and ran a cracking trial but pulled up unsound so we had to go give him the time to get over it.” Tarry said Nebraas had also had a tendency to race too keenly.  He continued, “However, this season he has got the ground even though he has not settled well. I was in a dilemma whether to leave the blinkers on. But we had waited so long for the next win (over 2000m at the Vaal on June 8) that even with the step up in trip (for the Gold Vase) I couldn’t take the blinkers off because he had just won with them on. He came out of his Gold Vase run fantastically. I think that was what made the difference and enabled him to up his game in the Gold Cup.” Tarry pointed out Nebraas had “definitely done too much in the running” in the Gold Cup, so the fact he still won shows just what a huge engine this Vercingetorix Al Adiyaat home-bred gelding must have. Hewitson took him up towards the front from the off. He was a touch keen but still responded well to his instructions and Hewitson was thus able to find cover in a perfect position one wide and behind second-placed Chitengo. The order did not change much in the front except for Sunshine Silk being brought around the field from about the 1700m mark onwards and joining the pacemaker Paths Of Victory as they turned for home.   Paths Of Victory attempted a repeat of last year’s front-running win but both his and Sunshine Silk’s efforts in the straight were short-lived.  Nebraas had joined the latter pair by the 300m mark and Hewitson kept him going with the stick in the left hand to prevent him from  hanging right. Former SA Derby winner Out Of Your League was running on threateningly in the centre and Before Noon, Silver Host and Wealthy were gathering momentum on the outside. However, Nebraas held on by a quarter of a length from a rapidly closing Silver Host. Out Of Your League was a length further back with Before Noon and Wealthy next best. Silver Host confirmed trainer Justin Snaith’s assertion he is the best stayer in the country as he carried 58kg and put in the best performance at the weights. Earlier, Duke Of Marmalade filly Rain In Holland was squeezed out at a crucial point in the straight and looked to be beaten.
Tarry admitted, “I thought we were finished. Incredible that she came back, she has got to be tops.”    This is the first Drakenstein Stud homebred Grade 1 winner he has trained.   He said about his first impressions of her, “She was always backwards and always looked like she was going to get better. In her first race we expected her stable companion (Marigold Hotel) to win and she did. However, we had not expected Rain In Holland to place and she ran second on the Turffontein Inside course over 1450m and I thought ‘Wow, that’s a really good run.’ Then  she won her maiden well, then beat the boys, then won another race and then she beat the boys again, so she’s now won five as a juvenile including a Group 1 and that doesn’t happen too often.” Tarry was not concerned about her being suited to the tighter Hollywoodbets Greyville track and said, “I had expected her to go clear and make the others stay but we went so slowly and that was a problem. She can get a little bit hot and above herself but she’s very workmanlike when she’s on the track and in races and she always puts her best foot forward when she needs to. So she has the X-factor and she’s also got a very good action and uses herself very well.” Tarry does not envision having to take Rain In Holland down to Cape Town due to Drakenstein’s strong base down there and he believed he would thus be able to give her a well deserved holiday before preparing her for a tilt at the Wilgerbosdrift SA Triple Tiara. He believes stamina tests will be of no problem to her.  Tarry failed to defend his SA Champion trainer crown but said his two-year-od string from the season just past had been stronger than the previous year and said he had “five or six proper four-year-olds”, including Paisley Park, who needed surgery after three victories in three starts, Eagle Alley, who had a wind operation after being tailed off when going for three out of three, and Silver Tycoon, who needed a testicle removed after a 6,25 length romp second time out.