Wilgerbosdfrift SA Triple Tiara heroine Rain In Holland (Duke Of Marmalade) has come out of her comfortable Grade 2 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks victory well and is now eyeing the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000.
She might, or might not, have a run before that 28 May engagement but if she does the most obvious race will be the Grade 2 Gerald Rosenberg Stakes, a wfa plus penalties event on Champions Day at Turffontein Standside, April 30.
In becoming the fifth Triple Tiara winner in history, and the third in the last three years, she put a total of 6.5 lengths between herself and the opposition over the three legs.
This does not match the 20 lengths of 2011 winner Igugu or the 8,75 lengths of 2013 winner Cherry On The Top.
However, the bare result does not include a footnote saying she won every leg easing up.
Tarry finds it hard to compare her to other top fillies he has trained because of their different characteristics, but said she was without doubt one of the best he had been associated with.
He said she had particularly “shown her mettle” in the first leg over 1600m, which he thought might be too sharp for her.
He added, “She does stay 2400m but is not a staying type. She is a classic filly … 1800m to 2000m, that is her trip.”
In the typical style of a Duke Of Marmalade filly she is continually strengthening and improving and when she faced the acid test on Saturday, with her supporters holding their breaths, she stamped her class.
She lengthened her stride and reeled in the leaders with ease.
She then found another gear when Light Of The Moon (Futura) came back at her.
It was a triumph for Drakenstein Stud who got the one-two with a pair of home-breds. Both of them were by stallions from their farm too, although Duke Of Marmalade has unfortunately passed on.
Before the first leg Drakenstein had never before bred a classic winner but they got two that night, as Safe Passage (Silvano) also won the Grade 2 WSB Gauteng Guineas.
They now have a total of four classic victories from two individuals.
However, it might have been five because Mike de Kock said after Aragosta’s (Rafeef) WSB Derby win that he had been lucky Safe Passage had to be scratched.
Tarry is never one to look back, but if his near miss in the 2015 Triple Tiara with Siren’s Call did ever bring a few moments of pensive thought, it will no longer.
The ride on Rain In Holland was another master class by Richard Fourie, who is at the top of the pile as most sort after jcokey in the country at present.
He did the Oaks/Derby double and clinched his fifth Grade 1 of the season in the latter race.
He is on track to matching or beating the seven Grade 1s Jeff Lloyd rode in the 2006/2007 season.
Tarry also won the Grade 3 Caradoc Gold Cup with the five-year-old Vercingetorix gelding Nebraas who fetched his stablemate Black Thorn (Pomodoro) in the straight and got up by 0,60 lengths and once again Fourie was the man aboard.
Nebraas is on his way to defending his Gold Cup crown but Tarry said he would like to have a crack at the Hollywoodbets Durban July first.
He said Black Thorn would likely take in the DSTV Gold Vase on the way to the Gold Cup.
However, he said both horses would run in the Grade 3 Gold Bowl over 3200m on Champions Day.
He said Flying Carpet (Judpot), Zillzaal (Silvano) and possibly Shango (Captain of All) would have a crack at the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge
Tarry won the Listed Kwazulu Natal Stakes on Sunday over 1100m at Hollywoodbets Greyville with the Philanthropist filly Full Velocity. He said he was not thinking of the Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint for her just yet as she could still be competitive in handicaps.
Rain In Holland remained on a 118 merit rating but Nebraas was raised six points to 110, so does not have too much to do to get into the July.
Full Velocity was raised four points to a 99.
Picture: Candiese Lenferna
