The South African juvenile racing programme is set to come to an exciting close at Greyville in Durban on Sunday, July 30, when the country’s top two-year-old thoroughbreds compete for victory and Equus glory in the final Grade 1 races of the season.
The young horses will compete over 1 600m with the colts and geldings doing battle in the R750 000 Premiers Champion Stakes and the fillies fighting it out in the R750 000 Thekwini Stakes.
Desert Rythym (Nkosi Hlophe)
Exciting entries have been received for both races and South Africa’s champion trainer Sean Tarry will be hoping to follow up on his juvenile success on Vodacom Durban July Day when he saddled the winners of both two-year-old events, Desert Rhythm in the Gold Circle Golden Slipper and Purple Diamond in the Durban Golden Horseshoe.
Desert Rhythm, that had won the Nursery at Turffontein before her Greyville success will be strongly fancied to take the honours over the mile on eLAN Gold Cup day and Purple Diamond, that won the Durban Golden Horseshoe as a 20-1 outside, will command a lot more respect in the Premiers Champion Stakes.
Tarry has also nominated the Seventh Rock filly Rockin Russian, fourth in the Gold Circle Golden Slipper for the Thekwini Stakes and, as back-up to Purple Diamond in the Premiers Champion Stakes, the Captain Al colt Captain And Master that finished third in the Durban Golden Horseshoe. With a team like that Tarry is likely to approach the day with a lot of confidence.
Sand And Sea (Nkosi Hlophe)
However, the stable will be wary of the Twice Over colt Sand And Sea that was a comfortable winner of the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion over 1 200m at Scottsville, Sea And Sand is from the Dennis Drier yard. The Twice Over colt had previously beaten the Great Britain colt Al Mariachi on debut and Brett Crawford’s charge had come out to win the KZN Yearling Sale Million at Greyville on Vodacom Durban July day.
But the challenge to the Tarry stable in the Premier’s Champion Stakes does not stop there. Trainer Joey Ramsden has entered his Oratorio colt Ancestry that was just touched off by Purple Diamond in the Durban Golden Horseshoe. This colt will have a better draw than those mentioned and will be a big runner.
In the Thekwini Stakes, Desert Rhythm will again face the Lucky Houdalakis-trained Let It Flow and Tsessebe from the Drier stable that finished second and third respectively to her in the Gold Circle Golden Slipper. In this case, however, Desert Rhythm will have a major draw advantage.
Neptune’s Rain from the Duncan Howells stable, third to Brave Mary in the Allan Robertson Fillies Championship at Scottsville, will be out to prove she is a lot better than her disappointing run in the Gold Circle Golden Slipper and the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Tiger Ridge filly Meryl , winner of the Devon Air Stakes, could step up to the plate and show that performance was no fluke.
These are two great races and could determine the winners of the juvenile categories at the Equus Awards in the months ahead.
By Richard McMillan
