Twice July-winning trainer Sean Tarry greets Hollywoodbets Brand And Communications manager Devin Heffer at the HDJ Final Field And Draw Ceremony on Tuesday. Tarry’s smile tuned to a grimace when he drew 15 for Cousin Casey and 18 for Future Pearl but in typical style he had soon bounced back and was planning for the task at hand. (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
Sean Tarry said his two Hollywoodbets Durban July runners Cousin Casey and Future Pearl were completly different types and so would not work together at the July gallops on Thursday.
His first response to a question about their well-being was that they had both had “exceptional preps.”
He added, “They will gallop this week and if all goes well they will be ready for action.”
Tarry did not look happy when drawing 15 for Cousin Casey and 18 for Future Pearl.
He said, “I would have really liked a lower draw for Cousin Casey.But Future Pearl, I think, will cope with it. It might even be in his favour.”
Cousin Casey has been headstrong on a few occsions recently, but Sean said, “We’ve done a lot of longer work with him, and he’s learned to settle very nicely.He’s had two perfect prep runs.I don’t think he could have asked for a better preparation.”
Future Pearl’s last run proved he had overcome the couple of issues he had earlier in the season and he is back to his best.
Interestingly, a Hollywoodbets manager on the bookmaking side of the business said their worst result would be a win for Future Pearl, who was backed at long odds.
He is now at 17/1 and Cousin Casey is 20/1.
Cousin Casey carries 56kg off his 123 merit rating and Future Pearl, carrying 54kg, is 1kg under sufferance off his 117 rating.
Cousin Casey will be ridden by S’Manga Khumalo and Future Pearl by Grant van Niekerk.
Van Niekerk will be going for his first July win, although he went close as an apprentice in 2012 when his rank outsider Smanjemanje was denied by the Tarry-trained Pomodoro, who was ridden by Piere Strydom.
Both Tarry and Khumalo will be going for their third July wins and one of those was together, with Heavy Metal in 2013.
Khumalo’s other win was with the Mike de Kock-trained Sparkling Water in 2022, which was the first year in which Hollywoodbets Sponsored the country’s premier horseracing event.
