Sean Tarry has a strong hand in the big meeting at Turffontein tomorrow and his big guns have generally landed good draws too.

In the Grade 1 SA Derby over 2450m his Grade 2 TAB/Betting World Dingaans winner Shango has drawn pole and his other two runners, Cornish Pomodoro and Nebraas, are drawn seven and ten respectively.

Tarry said about Shango “He seems to be a staying type. He has never showed much in work but he is doing well and is moving well and the draw will help. I am pleased with everything.”

He admitted only the race would tell whether he stayed the trip.

Shango is by the sprinter Captain Of All out of a Jet Master mare who won from 1200m to 1400m but he won the Dingaans going away and Tarry had no doubt whatsoever he would stay the 1800m trip of the Grade 1 SA Classic.

His below par run there could have been explained by him having to be scratched from the Gauteng Guineas after a minor setback and missing three or four days of work as a result and the yard had also suffered a bout of temperatures at the time of the Classic too.

Cornish Pomodoro also ran well below par in the Derby Trial around the time of the bout of temperatures and Tarry said that outing was best ignored.

He pointed out, “I had always expected him to turn into a classic horse. That last run knocked the wind out of our sails but before that he ran second to Green Laser at level weights in the Secretariat and was doing his best work late so based on that he is not a long way off these horses.  He has been doing well.

Tarry said about Nebraas, “He is out of an Archipenko mare and his sire Vercingetorix did have a lot of pace over a mile but is by Silvano (who imparts stamina), so he should get the trip. He is a nice horse and is progressive. He is under pressure based on his merit rating but is coming off a second place finish in the Derby Trial where he had a few here behind him.”

Asked which was the stable elect, Tarry said, “Shango would be the choice on form no doubt but he is lazy at home and on work I would say Nebraas, although it’s tricky as the horses to beat are also stepping up in trip.”

In the Grade 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m Tarry runs last year’s runner up Cirillo (drawn three), the progressive Tierra Del Fuego (drawn two) and the former Summer Cup winner Tilbury Fort (drawn 12).  

Cirillo bounced back to his best last time to win the Grade 2 Hawaii Stakes over 1400m by 3,50 lengths.

Tarry said, “He was impressive and is doing well. He had a deep draw last year and only just failed. He has 2kg to find on the top horses but is now drawn well and hopefully will have a very good run.”

“Tierra Del Fuego was soundly beaten by Cirillo in the Hawaii but he is on the up and a mile might even be better. He has got it all to do but he is fit and well.”

“This is a pipe opener for Tilbury Fort. It is nice to have Lyle back, he hasn’t ridden Tilbury since winning the 2018 Summer Cup and a 1400m race next time out. I hope to see him running on and we can map out a program from there.”

Tarry runs Victoria Paige and Keep On Smiling in the Grade 2 SA Oaks.

He had been highly confident of Victoria Paige’s chance in the Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic but had to scratch her with a temperature. The long-striding daughter of Captain Al has drawn pole and he said, “She hasn’t had the ideal preparation and I can’t have the same confidence over 2400m. I’m hoping she will stay but she is not certain too and it is exactly the same with Keep Smiling, who also has ability.”

Tarry said he had been able to get enough work into his charges during lockdown. However, one concern was whether he had kept them on the boil for too long due to the extended lockdown and the continual stretching out of the dates of the races. 

Of his other charges on the day he felt Dubawi Princess was a runner, he gave Slalom Queen a chance, he rates Immeasurable but was disappointed by his last run and is hoping he is not a “brass”, he believes first-timer Sun Ray would probably need the experience but added he would be progressive, he thought Take The World had a chance having come from last on debut to finish fourth, although he is now widely drawn, and he said Return Flight always thrived at this time of the year.

He has Matador Man running at Greyville in the Grade 2 Drill Hall Stakes on Sunday and said, “He has a tough task taking on those horses but loves Greyville and on his day is useful. He has been doing well.”

Tarry said the weekend was also going to be an important yardstick to sort out his SA Champions Season team. Horses are only allowed one move during the lockdown so he won’t be able to travel up and down. 

He envisages entering about ten horses into the Vodacom Durban July on Monday. 

By David Thiselton

It’s SA Derby Day at Turffontein tomorrow and TAB has added carryovers to four pools at the meeting.

The principal carryover to the meeting is a R250,000 add-in to the Pick 6, which starts on Race 4 at 12:55. The carryover should generate a total net pool of some R1 million.

There are also R75,000 carryovers to each of the two Jackpot pools, as well as a R100,000 carryover to the Quartet on Race 7, the Wilgerbosfdrift SA Oaks which is the final leg of the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara for three-year-old fillies.

Trainer Paul Peter’s charge Summer Pudding, winner of all five starts to date including the first two legs of the Triple Tiara, is hot favourite.

Carryover details:

Pick 6 = R250,000 (estimated pool R1,000,000)

Jackpot 1 = R75,000 (estimated pool R500,000)

Jackpot 2 = R75,000 (estimated pool R300,000)

Quartet Race 7 = R100,000 (R750,000)

The current pandemic has turned our world upside down.  SARS-CoV-2, the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, is a “novel” virus, which means that it is new and nobody on the planet has been exposed to it before.  This also means that nobody has immunity to it.

Only one of two scenarios will end this nightmare:  a reliable vaccine, or achieving a “herd immunity” of about 70% of the population.

Herd immunity is a form of indirect protection from infectious disease that occurs when a large percentage of a population has become immune to an infection, whether through vaccination or previous infections, thereby providing a measure of protection for individuals who are not immune.

Therefore, the timeline to return to “complete” normal will be about 18 months from now, because it is unlikely that the vaccine would be available in South Africa sooner (albeit, multiple agencies are fast tracking the process, so we might all be surprised).  The SARS outbreak, from 2002 till 2004, which was also a Corona Virus and also started in China, took 2 years to “burn out”.

What does this mean at a very practical level?  Well, until the vaccine arrives, most of us will become exposed and develop immunity.  Obviously, people at high risk must avoid exposure at all costs.  People at high risk will only be “safer” from infection when herd immunity is established.

Life must go on and we cannot exist in a Level 5 lockdown indefinitely.  The sooner we have herd immunity, the better.

The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 amongst passengers on two ships, the Diamond Princess cruise liner and the USS Theodore Roosevelt warship, has led to several, interesting studies being conducted.

These studies have helped us to learn and understand that more than 50% of positive cases will be asymptomatic.  In other words, people who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 will still remain completely healthy and not experience any symptoms despite “fighting” off the virus and developing immunity.  In the case of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the “healthy”, infected group was around 60% of the crew, which is completely understandable because the average age on board was younger relative to the age of passengers on the Diamond Princess.

The Jockeys are young (less than 60 years old) and healthy.  All of the Jockeys in Johannesburg were tested for SARS-CoV-2.  Almost all tested negative.  The small number that tested positive were completely asymptomatic and remain healthy.  There is no doubt that they contracted the virus outside of racing venues, because these were closed during the lockdown.  The Jockeys live far apart from each other, in different municipalities and rode work somewhat occasionally, at different venues.

It must be expected that if you were to randomly test any group of people in South Africa right now, you would find positive tests.  It is not currently known what percentage of the population has developed herd immunity.  Estimates from some Virologists range between 3% to maybe 20% in Cape Town, a “hotspot” area.  In 18 months, herd immunity should be at around 70% of the population.

Until then, based on the timing to achieve heard immunity and/or have access to a vaccination, the current practice of social distancing and sanitisation is recommended.  We expect the number of new cases to increase and, unfortunately, we also anticipate an increase in the death rate.

That being said, people under 60 years of age with no co-morbidities (chronic diseases), have more chance of dying in a car accident than succumbing to SARS-CoV-2.

We know that some are more at risk than others.  The risk factors for contracting SARS-CoV-2 and experiencing severe symptoms include the following:  People older than 60 years of age (the risks for people older than 80 is predictably much more significant), moderate to severe chronic lung diseases, poorly controlled diabetes, poorly controlled hypertension, serious heart conditions, chronic renal disease on dialysis, chronic liver disease, severe obesity (Body Mass Index over 40), immunocompromised patients, (chemotherapy patients, patients with uncontrolled HIV, bone marrow or organ transplants), advanced pregnancy (>28 weeks).

The current racing structure (behind closed doors) is well-suited to be safer than any other industry right now.  Only the Jockeys that tested negative are racing, for a limited number of hours over a few days a week.  The chance of contracting COVID-19 is much greater outside of the racetrack venues; at any shop for that matter.

There is no need to panic!  Drive carefully on the roads.  For most of us, that is far more dangerous.  If you have any of the above risk factors, isolate yourself from society completely, if you can.  As for the rest of us, we should continue to follow the recommended public health practices of social distancing and sanitisation.  It must be said that the sooner we become immune, the better for everyone, including the very old and those at high risk.

Ends

The large number of horses needing to race after the lockdown with only 12 currently permitted to run, has created a huge demand for places in fields across the country.

The Western Cape have a huge number of two-year-olds which are ready to run, but many of them are unfortunately being eliminated at final declaration stage.

There have been requests, particularly from smaller trainers who are at a disadvantage from a numbers’ perspective, to assist in this regard and after numerous options were considered, Kenilworth Racing Board Director, Jonathan Snaith, came up with a solution.

“There are five race meetings still scheduled for the Western Cape this month and Jonathan has managed to get a group of companies and individuals to sponsor four of these race meetings, with Kenilworth Racing Co-chairman and Director, Robert Bloomberg, having already put his hand up in sponsoring a meeting in his personal capacity, thereby facilitating an extra race at each meeting,” explained Racing Executive Patrick Davis. 

“Eight races have been programmed per meeting, but we will now be able to add an extra Maiden Juvenile Plate to each meeting. This will effectively provide an additional 60 runs for the juveniles this month.”

Kuda Holdings will sponsor the race meeting on 9 June, Klawervlei Stud and Justin Snaith on 16 June, Jonsson Workwear on 21 June, Robert Bloomberg on 27 June and EasyEquities the meeting on 29 June. 

“These are very testing times for most businesses in South Africa and racing is no exception. The generosity from all these sponsors to assist racing’s stakeholders under the circumstances is a wonderful gesture,” said Davis. 

If there are any other individuals or organisations who might also be interested in supporting this initiative into July, please contact Faeeza Heuwel, Chief Operating Officer for Kenilworth Racing, at 021 700 1614 or email faeezah@kenilworthracing.com

Ends

The National Horseracing Authority (NHA) confirms that in line with its commitment to ensuring the safety of all the participants, it has established extensive Covid-19 Protocols and Procedures, for the Resumption of Racing behind closed doors.

This document has been carefully considered using international best practice, in addition to considering our own requirements according to Government Protocols.

The NHA has appointed Mr Arnold Hyde, Racing Control Executive, as the Chief National Covid-19 Compliance Officer, to facilitate that these Protocols and Procedures are strictly adhered to, ensuring that Racing is conducted behind closed doors in a responsible and safe environment for all Stakeholders. All enforcement officers report directly to the Chief National Covid-19 Compliance Officer.

The NHA has assembled a panel of dedicated and appropriately qualified people to its Covid-19 Surveillance in Racing Panel, which includes Miss Hazel Kayiya (NHA Racing Administration Executive), the NHA Investigating Officer, Mr Riaan Janse van Rensburg, the Chief Stipendiary Stewards in the respective regions, Messrs Lyle Anderson (Highveld), Ernie Rodrigues (Western Cape) and Deanthan Moodley (KwaZulu-Natal), the Racing Operators’ Health and Safety Personnel, Messrs George Shirinda (Highveld), Preston Chetty (KwaZulu-Natal) and Mrs Faeeza Heuvel (Western Cape) and Medical Experts, which include Dr Schalk de Kock (NHA Laboratory Director), Dr Richard Albrecht and Professor Ian Sanne (Highveld), Dr Poobalan Pillay (KwaZulu-Natal), Dr Jan Lapere (Eastern Cape) and Mr Adrian Todd (Western Cape – Managing Director, South African Equine Health Protocols).

The National Horseracing Authority will carefully monitor this Protocols model and may make amendments if and when necessary.

ENDS.