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)

Dean Kannemeyer and Stuart Randolph will be looking for a big race double when they team up with Solid Speed in the R1,25 million Gr 1 eLan Property Group Gold Cup to be run over 3200m at Greyville on Saturday, July 25.

The pair were successful with Power King in the Vodacom Durban July and Solid Speed’s Gold Cup chances were further enhanced when he drew gate 2 at last night’s draw for barrier positions.

Solid Speed suffered his first defeat in four starts at Greyville when going down less than a length to Heart Of A Lion in the SABC Gold Vase over 3000m on July day lumbering top weight of 60kg. He carries a handy 53kg in the Cup and is 1kg better off with Heart Of A Lion.

Kannemeyer also saddles last year’s top weight Hot Ticket and the lightly weighted Balance Sheet who drew 13 and 10 respectively.

Hot Ticket found traffic in the recent Vodacom Durban July but will much prefer this longer trip. Prior to the July he was just beaten a nostril by Disco Al in the Track & Ball Derby. Hot Ticket finished fourth under top weight in last year’s Gold Cup behind Wavin’s Flag.

Second last year was Mike de Kock’s runner Wild One and his name was first out of the draw. He has only had two outings since last year’s Cup and should be primed come next Saturday from gate 5. He came from near last to finish second to Punta Arenas in the Cup Trial over 1800m and followed up with a smart second behind Bezanova in the KZN Breeders’ Million Mile. He will much prefer this extended trip and will be one of the fancied runners.

Joey Ramsden has two smart stayers in Disco Al and Coltrane. The former has been in good form and got up in a blanket finish to touch off Hot Ticket in the Track & Ball Derby over 2400m at Scottsville with other Gold Cup entries Savage Wind and Kingston Mines less than a length behind. Disco Al drew 11.

Coltrane has been disappointing since arriving for Champions Season but he had some smart staying form in the Western Cape where he won the Chairman’s Cup over 3000 m and prior to that was just run out of it by Kingston Mines in the J&B Urban Honey Stakes over 2800m. His recent form has been over 2400m and the step up in trip could see him come into his own from draw 3.

Ash Cloud managed her first win of the season in the Gold Circle Oaks, this year run at Scottsville. She finished three lengths off Wavin’ Flag last year under 52kg but this year has a steadier of 57kg but has a plum draw at 8.

By Andrew Harrison

Picture: Solid Speed (Nkosi Hlophe)

Mark Dixon was realistic about the chances of his Gr 1 Mercury Sprint contender African Dream and admitted this run would partly be used to show exactly how good she was.

He said, “She’s exceptionally well after that last win (in which she defended her crown in the KZN Breeders 1200). It’s a massive step up in class, but she’s going to have a break anyway so our theory was we’ve got nothing to lose. She’s drawn eleven of eleven which is obviously not great, but one of her greatest assets is her gate speed. She’s out the stalls like a bullet, that’s if she behaves herself on the day, although there’s no reason to believe that she won’t.”

The four-year-old Mogok filly has always had an aversion to the starting stalls but behaved herself well last time having been accompanied by Dixon’s wife and assistant trainer Hayley and the “horse whisperer” Glyn Redgrave. The pair will be with her at the start again.

Dixon continued, “Then we can get across and sit nice and handy, that’s her style of racing. We will learn an awful lot and see where we are at, because we’re taking on the best. We can run a place maybe.”

Dixon ran third in this race last year at Clairwood with Showmetheway and felt he was a touch unlucky not to have won it having been drawn badly, but he admitted it had been a “sub-standard Gr 1 and this year’s is a lot more competitive.”

African Dream’s six wins (in 12 starts) have all been over this distance, but she is merit rated 101, which leaves her with a mountain to climb against the like of 120 merit rated Captain Of All under the weight for age conditions. Regular rider Keagan de Melo will be aboard.

By David Thiselton

Picture: African Dream (Nkosi Hlophe)

Mike Azzie was not bullish about the chances of his three-year-old Tiger Ridge gelding Isphan ahead of the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint over 1200m at Greyville on Saturday.

He said, “He’s very well and in good shape but it’s a very, very strong field and I will be happy if he places.”

Isphan was caught wide early when running a decent 2,6 length fifth in the Gr 2 Post Merchants over the course and distance. However, he faces all three of the horses that finished over two lengths ahead of him, Daring Dave, Moofeed and Willow Magic, on only 0,5kg better terms, while other even classier sorts like Captain Of All and Carry On Alice are also now in play. Furthermore he is drawn wide in 9 in the 11 horse field. Last time out he was well beaten over 1200m on the poly on Vodacom Durban July day, but his regular rider Gavin Lerena is now back aboard.

A few of Azzie’s runners appeared to run a bit below par on July day, but they all returned normal.

Included among them was Frosted Honey, who now runs in the Gr 2 Debutante over 1200m on Saturday and will then go for the Gr 1 Thekwini Stakes over 1600m a week later.

Azzie said, “I was a little disappointed with Frosted Honey’s run (4,8 length 12^th in the Gr 1 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper over 1400m), I would have expected her to run better, but in saying that she did have a setback when she got to KZN and I think we were chasing the eight ball with her all the time. She has come on a lot from that run and will be in better shape for her next start.”

He said, “Deputy Jud wasn’t given the best ride, it was probably one of Corne’s (Orffer) worst rides ever, to go that pace in a July handicap is absolutely ridiculous, you can’t set those fractions and expect a horse to find, so his July run can be written off, he’s a much better horse than that and I’m sure he’s going to bounce back. He’s definitely going to run in the Champions Cup, but in saying that the weights don’t suit him, but he will be right there.”

He was very disappointed with Hot August’s run in the KZN Yearling Sales Million and said, “He might have to be gelded later on, I’m going to take him home and have a look at him and see where we are with him. That run is not what he shows us on the track.”

Rock Me Var was another disappointment on July day and will be taken home to the Highveld and given his African Horse Sickness vaccinations.

However, Azzie will have a strong hand in the Gr 1 Premier’s Champions Stakes over 1600m on Super Saturday (July 25) with the outstanding prospect Rabada and the exciting Abashiri, as well as  High Game, who improved to win his fourth start, over 1400m at Scottsville, by seven lengths.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Mike Azzie