Sean Tarry is bidding for a third win in South Africa’s most iconic race, the Hollywoodets Durban July
Five-times Champion Trainer Sean Tarry said he would stick to his original plan with the Gr 1 SA Classic winner Grand Empire, despite the first July Log having some anomalies that threaten to exclude his leading July entry from the final field.
The anomalies were a Gr 1 SA Classic winner, which used to mean an automatic berth in the final field, only making it into position 20 on the first log and the WSB 1900 winner, which used to be given preferential consideration for the final field, not making it into the top 20 on the first log.
In the last couple of seasons, for example, the SA Classic winners Purple Pitcher and Confederate were both in 6th position on the first log and the WSB 1900 winners Future Swing and Selukwe were in 18th and 14th position respectively.
The relatively lowly merit ratings of the pair are likely the reasons Grand Empire and Isivivane find themselves in those positions.
The SA Classic winner usually has a higher merit rating than Grand Empire’s 111, but this year Grand Empire’s rating was twice brought down lower after appeal panelists upheld merit rating appeals.
Trust, the Gr 2 Jackpot City Dingaans winner and SA Classic runner up, also finds himself outside of the top 20. His current merit rating is also 111 and his rating was also twice brought down lower after merit rating appeals.
It would seem the pair Grand Empire and Trust are having their hand forced to go for the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 to qualify.
Tarry said he had planned his July route for Grand Empire with the assumption that his place in the final field would be a formality, being the winner of the Gr 1 SA Classic.
He said, “I had made the assumption that I would be closer to the top ten than battling to get in.”
He said there were four options for Grand Empire in the first week of June.
He sad, “There is the Cup Trial, The Jubilee, there is a three-year-old race over a mile in Jo’Burg or there is a Pinnacle Plate.”
He continued, “So I had earmarked one of those races and the interesting thing is I don’t believe any of them can get me in if winning the SA Classic didn’t.”
He added, “It makes me wonder what has changed so drastically, because history tells me over the last 15 years that the SA Classic winner was always highly regarded regardless of the merit rating, because the horses who have won the Classic and ended up in the top ten have had various merit ratings. there have been 108s, 110s, 112s , 115s, there wasn’t a set marker. So it is very hard to believe that this year suddenly a Gr 1, which has always been a good pointer, is not being considered.”
Tarry was asked whether the horse had been doing well and replied, “He is doing well, but obviously I am planning to have him 90% for the first weekend in June, or 85%, because the plan is to have him right for the July. Obviously he has not run since the SA Classic, because I was of the opinion that he had certainly done enough to qualify.”
Tarry described the Vercingetorix gelding as a medium-sized, athletic horse with a fine turn of foot and he believed he would love Hollywoodbets Greyville.
Tarry said about his female entry, Callmegetrix, “She is Gr 1 placed (third in the Gr 1 TAB Empress Club Stakes) and she won the Gr 2 Gerald Rosenberg over 2000m. She is a hard-knocking filly, but we are in a similar position with her. So we may be forced to run her in the Woolavington 2000, which wasn’t the plan. I didn’t expect her to be in the top 20, but I thought the Cup Trial and the Jubilee would be considered, so obviously if the WSB 1900 is not being considered, then how can I wait for a race like the Jubilee or the Cup Trial and expect that that will qualify her? So if we carry on towards the July with her, we would have to go for the Woolavington.”
Tarry said if the aim of the like of Grand Empire’s and Trust’s low log positions were to prevent the Daily News 2000 from being empty of Gr 1 class horses, he was “not going to buckle to scare tactics.”
He said, “I’ve got my program for my number one entry and I’m sticking to it.”
Sean’s other July entry is the up and coming three-year-old Master Spy.
He said, “He is a lovely horse who is only starting to really develop now. He ran a really good third in the SA Derby from an impossible position. I thought I would get him going again in a pipe opener over 1400m last time and with 61,5kg he ran on very well (beaten 4,45 lengths by King Harald.)”
He continued, “Once again it looks hard to qualify, so I might just pull the plug and save him for the Summer Cup.”
He said about him considering the Daily News 2000 for Master Spy, “It is kind of pointless, because he would for example run fifth and end up with a merit rating of 116, whereas his only chance in the July would be with bottom weight. The object is not to just be in the July, the object is to be in with the right weight so you can win, you need to have the right weight and the right prep.”
Asked on whether some would just like to win the Daily News 2000, he replied, “They would, but you don’t decide that two weeks before the race.”
