Craig Zackey salutes as Cosmic Speed gives him a Gr 1 double (Candiese Lenferna Photography).
Sean Tarry bounced back to Gr 1 winning ways when Querari gelding Cosmic Speed won the Gr 1 weight for age Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m at Turffontein Standside on Saturday to give Craig Zackey a Gr 1 double.
The win was not surprising as this gelding had stayed on in eyecatching fashion in the Gr 3 Betway Got The Greenlight Stakes over 1400m in his last start in January and although his dam only won over 1200m she was by stamina influence Silvano.
His pedigree is very much a Maince Chance Farms one with sire Querari and damsire Silvano both being German-breds.
The hot favourite Main Defender finished unplaced, but to the relief of his backers was declared a non-runner.
The stipendiary steward report stated:”A race review was called into the start of this race with regards to MAIN DEFENDER (G Lerena) in stall gate 5. The Stewards established that as the start was effected, and this gelding launched itself from the starting stalls, its muzzle was caught in the grill of the left front gate as it opened, and its head was turned as a result. The Handler was slow to release the head of MAIN DEFENDER because of this. The Stewards reviewed this incident from various angles and at various speeds, and were comfortable to the requisite degree that MAIN DEFENDER had been prevented from starting on equal terms and its chances in this race had been materially affected as a consequence of this incident. Consequently, MAIN DEFENDER was declared to be a non-runner in terms of the provisions of Rule 61.5.10.2.”
Frontrunner Texas Red set the fractions with the Sean Tarry-trained Cosmic Speed lying one out and one back alongside Barbaresco, who was in the box seat.
It was clear at the top of the straight that Cosmic Speed had plenty in the tank and he shook off Greaterix, who had made good initial inroads, before passing Texas Red at the 300m mark.
He ran out a 1,75 length winner from Texas Red with the KZN raider Imilenziyokududuma relishing the long Turffontein straight and staying in for a 2,50 length third at 50/1 odds, a head in front of Greaterix, with Barbaresco in fifth place.
Heinrich Kuhn, Mr Krishen Naidoo & The Hon Mr Justice G N Kruger own Cosmic Speed and it was a first Gr 1 win for the latter pair.
The key to the win might have been a gallop the Tarry team were able to get into Cosmic Speed on the Tuesday 12 days before this race when Craig Zackey and Ryan Munger were asked by Sean to get to the track very early in the morning. They were able to just keep the horse ticking over after getting that important workout in on a soft but manageable track in between all the rain interrupted days lately.
Cosmic Speed has plenty of speed too and finished second in last season’s Gr 1 Gold Medallion over 1200m at Hollywoodbest Scottsville, but the Golden Horse Sprint is a Gr 2 these days so it seems more likely Cosmic Speed will be targeted at the Gr 1 wfa Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge over 1600m.
Cosmic Speed is in fact 12/1 in the Hollywoodbets ante-post betting for the Hollywoodbets Durban July.
