Sean Tarry will be hoping to hold all of the Gold Cup, Gold Bowl and Gold Vase (pictured above) by the end of the season as his Futura gelding Future Pearl will try and clinch the unofficial stayers “Gold” triple crown on Sunday. (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

Tarry Talks About Sunday’s Runners

Sean Tarry has four horses who are in prime position to win Equus Awards and three of them appear on World Pool Gold Cup day i.e Future Pearl, Princess Calla and Lucky Lad.

He spoke to Turf Talk about all of his runners on the day.

He said about his World Pool Gold Cup favourite Future Pearl, “He’s had a lovely preparation. It is a big weight for a three-year-old. However, the bottom weights are carrying 54kg, so that certainly helps. I think most of the field is under sufferance. Future Pearl is officially 2,5kg out at the weights with Shangani according to merit ratings, but his merit rating raise last time was capped, so he in fact might only be 1kg out.”

He said about the draw of four, which is one higher than the draw of three from which he won the Gr 3 DSTV Gold Vase last time, “I always think a draw in this race is a plus. To capitalise on a good draw you need to know how fast they are going to be going. It is no good being caught on the inside of a slow run race. We are mindful it can get a little rough in the early parts and the pace can also be a little bit muddling and stop start down the back. But it’s just part of the deal. He’s in good order and I’m happy with the draw, I’m happy with everything.”

He said about the probability of the ground being faster than Future Pearl had for his two Gr 3 wins, “He has run well enough on normal ground, but his two impressive wins were with the sting out of the ground … I don’t want to make too much of it, it is just an observation.”

Future Pearl is the favourite at present to win the Equus Champion Stayer Award as he has won both the Gr 3 WSB Gold Bowl and Gr 3 Gold Vase in commanding style. He will be attempting to emulate the 2017 feat of Hermoso Mundo by winning the unofficial “Gold” staying race triple crown.

Tarry is also happy with his 2021 Gold Cup winner Nebraas, who will be reunited with Lyle Hewitson.

He said, “Lyle knows him better than anyone. Lyle left a very good jockey and I’m sure he’s coming back a great jockey.”

Nebraas is only half-a-kilogram under sufferance with topweight Shangani and jumps from draw seven.

The Gr 1 World Pool Moment Of The Day Champion Stakes sees the two-year-old race of the season as Lucky Lad faces Sandringham Summit and Main Defender.

Tarry said about Lucky Lad, “He is very well, very happy with him. Obviously the draw (13 out of 14) is a big concern. He’s obviously a top horse but he needs to have a bit of luck in running. He has a great turn of foot, but things need to go well in the first half of the race to be able to assess whether his turn of foot is the same over this trip.”

Tarry is confident he will enjoy the 1600m trip.

He continued, “The Africa House would be my second choice on form. A line can be drawn through his Gold Medallion run, he got the worst of the interference and he had to miss July day because he wasn’t quite right after that incident. He’s also got a poor draw, he will need luck in running, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see a very good finish from him.”

He said about Longsword, “He is a lovely big horse, he’s probably going to be a better three-year-old. He was definitely made way too much use of behind Main Defender, he should get a lot closer if ridden a bit more conservatively.”

He continued, “Hotarubi and Longsword are both on the up but it is yet to be seen whether they are anywhere near this company. We are hopeful of good runs, but there are three or four horses in the field who are decent.”

Princess Calla runs in the Gr 1 HKJC World Pool Champions Cup ridden by Richard Fourie from draw ten out of 12 and Tarry said, “I’m very happy with her preparation, she’s in good order. I’m not going to tie Richard down to any instructions, he’s got to navigate the draw. She’s quite a straight forward mare, so it shouldn’t be too complicated. On ratings she’s got a massive chance and on form she’s got a massive chance. Obviously the question mark is the distance, but she has run well enough before over the distance to let us feel that she can get it. She ran second to War Of Athena in the Woolavington, she’s run well enough in the Paddock Stakes and she ran fifth in the Met in just her sixth career start.”

She could even be named Equus Horse Of The Year if she wins and Tarry said, “I don’t like to get to involved thinking of all that, but she has done precious little wrong all season. Even in the Computaform Sprint she wasn’t even ready, I had to use that as a prep run for HWB Scottsville because she was sick before that.”

He runs Thunderstruck in the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint and said, “Perfect preparation and happy with the draw, but at the ratings he’s got a mountain to climb.”

Tarry has two runners in the Gr 1 Douglas Whyte Stakes over 1600m, Let’s Go Now (Gimmethegreenlight) and That’s My Baby (Master Of My Fate).

He said, “Let’s Go Now has got scope for improvement but I just think this race might be coming a bit too soon for her, she will be a much better filly in a few months time. But she is in good form and she’s got a good draw and a top jockey (Keagan de Melo). For That’s My Baby it’s the right course and distance, right race, right prep, but obviously the draw (14 out of 14) is a concern. I don’t think this is the strongest field. My fillies have both got chances. They are very different fillies. I think it would have made a big difference to That’s My Baby if she had the draw, she could have really capitalised.”

Tarry said That’s My Baby’s prep into her penultimate start over 1400m had not gone too smoothly and her last start over 1200m had been too sharp, so her fourth and third places there respectively were more or less expected.

“She is in better order now,” he added.

Tarry runs Tail Of The Comet, who won impressively on debut at HWB Scottsville on Sunday, in the Gr 2 Tabgold Umkomazi Stakes over 1200m and he said, “He’s come out of the race well, although we will monitor him on a daily basis. We weren’t sure whether he would be effective down the straight because we thought he would lack early speed and would run on. He will be better over a little further and is a good prospect.”

He runs Kingdom Of Gold and American Graffiti in the Gr 2 World Pool With Gold Circle Debutante over 1200m and said, “Kingdom Of Gold has been working very well but has a draw of nine. American Graffiti was coming back from a bit of a break last time over 1300 and the sting was out of the ground so it stretched her a bit, but we had draw one then and now we’ve got draw 13.”

He runs Bless My Stars and Rock My Fox in the Gr 2 World Pool With Gold Circle Gold Bracelet over 2000m and said, “Bless My Stars has come out of the July very well. She is going to have it tough at the weights (has to carry a Gr 1 penalty) but her run in the July was good enough for her to have a good chance in a race like this. There was nothing between these two as early three-year-olds but Rock My Fox then got injured before the classics. She needed her two comeback runs, I was happy with them, and she’s in good order. She’s got a mountain to climb on the official ratings, but as I say there wasn’t much between her and Bless My Stars as early three-year-olds.”

Tarry is hoping for the best with Magic Tattoo from a tough draw in the Listed Umngeni Handicap.

Gimme A Prince (Candiese Lenferna Photography)

Mercury Sprint Trainer Comments

Michele Wing and the Gold Circle team interviewed the trainers of the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint’s top five horses in the betting.

Read the comments below and watch the video at the bottom.

Trainer Comments

(Top 5 runners in the market)

4. GIMME A PRINCE: “We go into this race well-drawn. He’s shown that he’s a top horse in the country. He galloped on Thursday (20 July 2023) and he put up an exceptionally good gallop. He has raced there (Hollywoodets Greyville) before. He’s got to be a big runner”, Dean Kannemeyer.

9. ISIVUNGUVUNGU: ”He’s a high quality horse. I think he’s equal top-rated sprinter in the country at the moment. We restricted him to a 1000 meters since early in his 3-year-old year, because he was wrestling and not wanting to settle over the extra furlong, so we are testing the waters here. I think the horse has a lot of confidence in Richard (Fourie) and if he settles in the run on Sunday, he certainly should be a big factor”, Peter Muscutt.

6. THUNDERSTRUCK: “He’s got it all to do with the top 2 (Gimme A Prince and Isivunguvungu) at the weights, but he’s got a reasonable draw and S’Manga gets on well with him. I couldn’t have him any better. Obviously, healthy respect for the top rated horses; they will be tough nuts to crack, but we’re ready to test them”, Sean Tarry.

11. WILLIAM ROBERTSON: “He ran a very good second from a bad draw last time (2022 running of the Mercury Sprint). He’s a year older and stronger now. We’re expecting a big run from him and hoping we can win this year and atone for last year’s second”, Corne Spies.

7. SURJAY: “His previous 2 runs over 1200 meters have been ‘top’. At the weight conditions, he’s a bit under sufferance with a couple of horses. From that perspective, it is going to be a little bit difficult for him, but he has a fair draw of 7. He’s definitely a horse for the quartets on the day”, Brett Crawford.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INTERVIEWS

Royal Guide cruises in under Gavin Lerena (Picture: Candiese Lenferna).

Alec Laird’s Well-Bred Colt Royal Guide Is On The Right Track

Alec Laird traveled to Pietermaritzburg today for a race he had won before, the Listed Off To Stud Stakes, and his consistent Vercingetorix filly Queen Of Shadows finished a gallant half-a-length third.

However, the purists would have been more interested in his Ascot Stud-bred four-year-old Gimmethegreenlight colt Royal Guide, who had been showing a lot of promise.

It is always impressive when a horse is caught without cover in a race and still wins, because it means the horse either has a good racing temperament or a big engine or both.

To be fair Royal Guide was only caught wide on the turn in today’s MR 84 Handicap over 1600m, but he was nevertheless without cover and one wide and it did not stop him finishing his race off.

Gavin Lerena drove him for the first half of the straight and he then took off to win easing up by 3,40 lengths.

The four-year-old colt only made his debut in April this year.

He placed in his first two starts and has won three of his next four over distances from 1600m to 1700m.

His only defeat in his last four starts is to the R7 million Celestial City, who also won at Hollywoodbets Scottsville today.

However, Alec, speaking before his previous win at the Vaal, felt Royal Guide had excuses for that defeat.

Royal Guide is well bred being by champion stallion Gimmethegreenlight out of Al Mufti Gr 1 Thekwini winner Royal Fantasy, who has produced two black type winners.

Jehan Malherbe’s Form Bloodstock purchased him for R1,4 million at the BSA National Yearling Sale and it is not surprising that one of the colt’s owners is Mauritzfontein Stud because he is from the family of their Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara heroines Summer Pudding and Cherry On The Top.

Ashley Parker of Ascot Stud also has a share and so do Malherbe and Laird.

There is a long way to go for Royal Guide to make it to the stallion barn, but he is on the right track.

In today’s winning interview Alec confirmed Royal Guide is getting better all the time and he gave a hint of the aspirations for the horse by saying, “On his pedigree he should certainly get 1800m, we will have to look at 2000m where the big races are.”

A R12 million P6 Pool is expected for Sunday’s World Pool Gold Cup meeting at Hollywoodbets Greyville.

More Great Chances To Win With TAB

RELEASED BY: 4Racing

TAB4racing customers can look forward to a feast of opportunities to land big wins on the horses in the next few days, including six carryover pools and betting into the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s mega tote pools.

The carryover action starts with a R250,000 Jackpot ONE carryover to this Thursday’s race meeting at Turffontein, which should result in a total pool of over R1 million and a guaranteed inflated payout. Jackpot ONE pools at Fairview this Friday, Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Saturday and the Sunday 30 July Gold Cup meeting at Hollywoodbets Greyville will also kick off with R250,000 carryovers with all three carryover pools likely to break through the R1-million barrier.

And then there are two mega TAB carryovers to the all-feature-race Gold Cup meeting – a R2-million Pick 6 carryover set to produce a mammoth R12-milion pool and a R1-million carryover to the Gold Cup Quartet pool. With 14 runners, the Quartet pool on the Gold Cup is set to total some R5 million and those who pick the first four could have plenty to celebrate when the battle is done in the country’s premier equine marathon.

There are also Hong Kong World Pool events aplenty in the coming days, starting with the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes meeting at Ascot in the UK this Saturday.

TAB Win, Place, Exacta, Quinella and Swinger bets on all races will be commingled into Hong Kong pools, as will the same TAB bets on Races 2 to 10 at the Gold Cup meeting the next day.

The Hong Kong World Pool action continues with the first three days of the five-day Glorious Goodwood festival of racing on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week. Once again TAB customers will be able to wager big money without significantly denting payouts.

TAB is ratcheting up the excitement with a couple of special promotions for online customers. Take a TAB Win bet on Race 9 at the Gold Cup meeting and get your money back to a maximum of R5,000 if your horse runs second. Plus, there’s a Gold Cup Weekend Champion Punter competition with R10,000 in prizes for the top three punters from 28 to 30 July.

Don’t miss out on the excitement and the chance to win wads of cash. All you need to get started is a TAB online account. Get the details at www.tab4racing.com

Lines Crossed is a comfortable winner of the R400,000 Farm Sale Race (Picture: Wayne Marks)

Ennion And Braun Claim Second Feature In Two Meetings

Greg Ennion said after his Ridgemont-bred Canford Cliffs colt Lines Crossed had won the R400,000 Cape Racing Farm Sale race over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth today (Wednesday), ““Grant van Niekerk rode him at Hollywoodbets Durbanville over a week ago. He suggested we put the blinkers on and they wouldn’t catch him. As it turned out, Lines Crossed kept turning around with the blinkers, so this morning I took them off and put the pacifiers on.”

The move proved spot on because the maiden colt led from the off and running within himself had opened up a useful lead by the time they had reached the spur at the 400m mark. Van Niekerk then went for home and The Piet Steyn-trained The United States colt Spirit’s Unite, who started favourite, could only chase in vain. Lines Crossed won by three lengths with the joint favourite Warm Winter Nite (What A Winter) a further 2,25 lengths back in third.

Lines Crossed cost R70,000 at the CTS Farm Sale and is owned by Etienne Braun.

He is out of the Var mare Saltire, who won three times over 1000m.

Saltire is a daughter of the Gr 2 Sceptre Stakes winner Badger’s Cove (Joshua Dancer).

Saltire’s One World colt Lion Rampart sold for R150,000 at the BSA National Yearling Sale this year and was purchased by the Hollywood Syndicate.

The Farm Sale race was the second feature success for the Ennion-Braun partnership in the last two Cape meetings.

On Saturday at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth the Ennion-trained three-year-old Master Of My Fate filly Love Is A Rose won the Gr 3 Final Fling Stakes over 1950m under Richard Fourie, carrying the Braun Royal blue, emerald green, red and white quartered, emerald green sleeves and cap colours.

Braun owns the Willem Engelbrecht-bred Love Is A Rose in partnership with John Lamb and Wayne Mealing.

Lyle Hewitson gets Emerald Princess up for a half-a-length victory in the Listed Off To Stud Stakes and it earns her valuable black type (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

Hewitson And Tarry Roll Back The Days

Andrew Harrison (Gold Circle)

Lyle Hewitson, fresh from a milestone 50-wins season in Hong Kong, was back on familiar territory today and rode another black type winner for his old boss Sean Tarry.

Hewitson rode a measured race on the favourite Emerald Princess, a four-year-old Gimmethegreenlight filly bred by Syrilla Stud, in the Listed Off To Stud Stakes over 1600m.

Tracking the pace early, Hewitson produced his mount with the prefect late run to snatch top honours.

Emerald Princess is owned by Mrs L C A Bouwer, Messrs G A Basel & W Volschenk.

Hewitson had seven rides at the meeting for one win, two seconds and two thirds.

Tarry had two winners at the meeting, the other one with the ever improving Celestial City.

The latter’s owner Henning Pretorius is not new to the horse game, buying Summerhill Stud, a prolific source of winners on the racecourse after Summerhill founder Mickey Goss retired and sold off an iconic horse nursery. Summerhill is now more a station for Warmbloods but Pretorius has kept his hand in on the thoroughbred business. Apart from standing useful sire Act Of War, he plunged at the National Yearling Sales, forking out an eye-watering R7 million for Celestial City, a full brother to top Gr 1 galloper Hawwaam and half-brother to two other multiple Gr 1 winners in Rainbow Bridge and Golden Ducat.

A late starter to his racing career, Celestial City is loaded with winning genes, and although he may not reach the highs of his siblings on the racecourse or recouping his purchase price on the track, he has shown that he is no mean galloper.

Sean Tarry has coaxed him to five wins and Celestial City could still climb to greater heights given that he only turns five at the end of the month. Given his blue-blood pedigree and that he has shown he is a winner, Henning could well recoup his outlay in the stallion barn.

Given that he is still an entire, Celestial City was perfectly behaved in the preliminaries and ran out an emphatic winner of the third at race over 1400m.

Neither Tarry or Henning were in attendance at the lead-in but regular rider Kabelo Mastsunyane, with his Hollywoodbets Durban July win still fresh in his memory, was confident that Celestial City was good enough to win a feature in the coming Highveld season which would add even further luster to the colt’s paddock potential.

Gainsford clinches a double for Bernard Fayd’Herbe and Vaughan Marshall (Picture: Wayne Marks).

Fayd’Herbe/Marshall Double, Fourie Double

Bernard Fayd’Herbe rode a double for Vaughan Marshall at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth today.

In the first of the wins Marshall-trained horses also finished third and fourth and in the second of the wins the yard got the exacta.

Richard Fourie also rode a double.

Fayd’Herbe has had eight wins in SA this season at a strike rate of 17.02%.

Fourie is on 254 wins at 22.01%, which is the highest strike rate in the country.

Marshall goes to 42 wins at 8.37%.

Sean Tarry scores the first of a double as Celestial City claims a fifth career victory, ridden by Kabelo Matsunyane (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

Garth Puller is KZN Champion Trainer

Garth Puller did not need a winner at Hollywoodbets Scottsville today to reclaim the KZN Trainers Championship which he won two season ago and which he lost to Gareth van Zyl last season.

Van Zyl had one winner today to close the gap to three wins, but he only contests two races on World Pool Gold Cup day so can’t catch Puller (unless he wins with Money Heist and his two Gold Cup contenders dead-heat for first).

Puller has had 60 wins in KZN for the season achieved at a strike rate of 9.88%.

Van Zyl is in second place on 57 at 16.57%, although overall in SA he has had 69 wins this season

Michael Roberts and Peter Muscutt have both had 53 wins in KZN this season at 12.02% and 16.06% respectively and they have had 54 and 59 wins overall in the season respectively.

Wendy Whitehead has had 51 wins in KZN at 13.64%.

Alyson Wright has had 49 wins in KZN at 13.46% and has had 50 wins this season overall.

The double scorers at today’s Hollywoodbets Scottsville meeting were Sean Tarry and Keagen de Melo.

Tarry goes to 112 wins for the season at 15.86%.

De Melo goes to 276 wins at 19.37%.

Turffontein Standside Fields, Thursday

Peter Ho and jockey Keith Yeung after Ho had scored his 14th win of the season, but unfortunately that turned out to be the trainer’s last win of the campaign. (HKJC).

Today’s Question

Why did Peter Ho lose his trainers license in Hong Kong at the end of this season?

Question answer at the bottom of the newsletter

ANSWER TO TODAY’S QUESTION

In Hong Kong single-site trainers must land 16 wins a season, although they are only allowed to count two wins in class 5, otherwise they receive a “strike”.

Three strikes and the trainer loses his license.

Ho trained 16 wins during the season but only 14 counted.

He ran five horses in the last meeting looking for the two wins he needed to retain his license.

However, he failed to add to his tally.

He had said after his 14th win on June 28, ““For me, I am positive, but you need a little bit of luck. I am so keen to train next season because my interest and my hobby is horses. This is why I never give up, I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”

However, he was philosophical after the last meeting.

The trainer of 634 winners since the Jockey Club licenced him ahead of the 1997-98 season, Ho confirmed he would not appear before the licensing committee to plead for a stay of execution.

“The rules are the rules. We have to respect the rules under which we play,” said Ho, who prepared Packing Winner and Mr Medici to win the 2008 and 2010 editions of the Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m), respectively, when it was a local Group One race.

Tony Millard was one of the trainers who received a first strike after the season as he only scored nine wins this campaign.

Turf Talk Newsletter – 26 July, 2023