Sean Tarry and proud son Daniel at Saturday’s Festival Of Speed meeting, a meeting that the Tarry yard have become synonomous with (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
Will the leafy residential suburb of Scottsville in Pietermaritzburg have a name change to Tarrytown or will Sean Tarry at least be given the freedom of KZN’s capital city and has his charge Lucky Lad already secured legendary status after producing a number of finishing efforts that are usually beyond the realms of possibility for mortal racehorses?
These are some of the questions that could be asked after The King of Hollywoodbets Scottsville sent out six runners in the annual jackpot of Gr 1 events meeting on Saturday for a return of two wins, three seconds and a third.
He increased his number of Gr 1 wins at the famous Festival Of Speed meeting in Pietermaritzburg to 20 courtesy of two sons of Gimmethegreenlight, two-year-old colt Proceed and three-year-old colt Lucky Lad, who won the Gold Medallion and Golden Horse Sprint respectively, both ridden by Richard Fourie.
Lucky Lad is fast becoming an icon such is his phenomenal finishing speed.
He looked to have no chance entering the last 100m of the 1200m Golden Horse Sprint and even less chance closer to home. but he then turned it on like an express train to just get up in a blanket finish.
The Hollywoodbets Scottsville straight course is perceived to have a draw bias, which is thought by most jockeys to favour low draws.
Although, outside draws are able to win these days, the outside drawn horses tend to track inward which leads to crowding towards the inside.
Fourie was drawn eleven out of 16 in the Golden Horse and found a whole vanguard in front of him on the outside after Lucky Lad, who has never had great gatespeed, had been dropped out as usual.
After switching inward the writing looked to be on the wall for the 18/10 favourite because the gap between the inside horses and the outside horses closed. How was he going to get through?
At the 350m mark Fourie opted to ease his mount and drift outward.
With the chief protagonists either on the inside or drifting that way he saw daylight with about 200m to go.
However, he still had about five lengths to make up on the leader Cruise Control, who was on the inside rail.
Fourie has said in the past that a rider has to keep on riding Lucky Lad hard and he will eventually take off. However, he now looked to have too little ground in which to get the colt going.
By the 100m he still had four lengths to make up on Cruise Control, a former East Cape horse who was bought by the Hollywood Syndicate and was having his fiirst run for Duncan Howells.
He also still had to overtake I Am Giant, another recent Hollywood purchase in training, At My Command and Sun Blushed, who were all closing in on Cruise Control.
By the 50m mark Lucky Lad still had three lengths to make up on Cruise Control and a length and a length-and-a-half on the other pair.
He then suddenly seemed to realise what his task was.
He put his head down, his ears back and produced a breathtaking surge.
He got up on the line to win by a head from At My Command with I Am Giant a short-head further back and a tiring Cruise Control beaten 0,30 lengths.
Sun Blushed was beaten 1,50 lengths and Melech, who was completely outpaced early, flew up on the outside for a two length sixth.
Lucky Lad was bred by Varsfontein Stud and the question now is whether he will line up in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Greyville next weekend.
He did only have to carry 54,5 kg on Saturday off his 121 rating and the presence of the 130 rated Dyce in the field meant he was one of only four horses who was in the handicap.
In the Gr 1 Gold Medallion Proceed also jumped from gate eleven, which was also the same gate Lucky Lad won the Gold Medallion from last year.
The Gimmethegreenlight colt was also dropped out by Fourie, but in a smaller 14 horse field a fortuitous gap opened for him to be driven through and he ran on to beat stablemate Cosmic Speed, who had stuck to the outside of horses throughtout from draw 13, by 0,75 lengths.
The maiden Winds Of Change comes from strong formlines and also showed that wide draws are not unfavourable by finishing a 2,15 length third with One More and Pistol Pete next best.
Proceed is owned and was bred by Laurence Wernars.
In the SA Fillies Sprint Raymond Danielson proved once again that out of the riders in the country who are not considered “top echelon” he by far the most valuable at Gr 1 level. He scored his umpteenth Gr 1 win on the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Trippi filly October Morn. He has ridden this filly twice and has scored a Gr 2 and Gr 1 won on her.
On Saturday, he sat on her from draw three and wisely produced her at the 400m mark because there was still room on the inside.
The Tarry-trained Mrs Browning had been prominent throughout in the centre from draw five.
This pair lcoked horns in the final stages but October Morn got the better of Mrs Browning to score by long head.
The Tarry-trained Winter Greeting stayed on to be beaten 3,45 lengths into third with Time For Orchids and Shantastic next best.
It was yet another Hollywoodbets Scottsville triumph for Avontuur Stud, who bred October Morn in partnership with David Abery, who bravely bought his racing partners in Miss October out a few years ago in order to breed with her and it is paying dividends.
Barend Botes had earlier landed a first Gr 1 success of his 30 year training career when Quid Pro Quo flashed up late to deny the Tarry-trained Rodeo Drive with Symphony In White close up too.
The favourite Gimmie’s Countess was most unlucky, with no way to go on the inside rail until late on and she finished a 0,65 length fourth with the fancied KZN horse Just Reckless fifth after hanging badly outward and costing herself.
Quid Pro Quo is owned and was bred by GC Kalil and is by the Jet Master sire Lance, who was ironically trained by Tarry.
