World Of Alice winning the Gr 3 Fillies Mile (JC Photos)
Sean Tarry is swinging towards the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara series of races for his Gr 3 Betway Fillies Mile winner World Of Alice (One World).
He said the Gr 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes had been considered but as the Triple Tiara starts on February 1, just four weeks after the Paddock Stakes, he believed it made better sense to keep her on the Highveld.
Tarry believes the mile is the absolute minimum trip for World Of Alice, so she has a realistic chance of repeating the feat of Rain In Holland, whose hardest task before landing the Triple Tiara in 2022 was perceived to be the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas.
World Of Alice is out of Hussonet mare Alice Springs, who won four times from 1200m up to 1600m.
However, Alice Springs has produced Joe Harman, a Master Of My fate gelding who won over 2200m.
World Of Alice fetched the likely looking winner Fiery Pegasus in the Fillies Mile and enjoyed the testing Turffontein Standside 1600m.
She was bred by Varsfontein Stud and is owned by Eugene and Sandy Arundel’s Itssa IT & Business Solutions (PTY) Ltd syndicate.
Meanwhile, Tarry reintroduces Cosmic Speed at Turffontein Standside on Saturday.
He said he did not have him fully wound up but believed he could still win, pointing out how good his sprint form was. He is also well treated at the weights in the Graduation Plate event over 1160m, especially with 1,5kg claimer Trent Mayhew aboard.
Asked whether he believed Cosmic Speed would get a mile this season, he said, “He may get the mile, but I don’t think it’s nailed on. I think 1200m to 1400m is probably a good distance for him at the moment.”
His promising three-year-old colt Legend Of Arthur was scratched from the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas due to a little bit of a virus. He said, “So, we had to just take it easy on him, but hopefully he’ll be back for the triple crown.”
He said The Specialist had hit the front of his face going into the gates or while standing in the gates last time and there was blood from the mouth. It was supposed to be his preparation race for the Cape Guineas and Tarry added, “Thereafter the race was a mess. Unfortunately, it’s another run, but you have to just put a line through it. The run in the Graham Beck, the same story, he was pulling and Gavin battled to settle him. So, unfortunately the two runs over the distance we need to start stepping him up over were both a mess, but it happens.”
In between those two runs The Specialist ran a fair 5,50 length second over 1200m, with the form being franked as the winner, Mount Pilatus, won the Gr 3 New Turf Carrier Merchants on Saturday.
Tarry was happy with Lucky Lad’s 3,05 length fifth in the Merchants.
He said, “Obviously we were drawn on the wrong side and carried a hell of a weight. There’s a Pinnacle Plate coming up but I wanted to get him to Cape Town and wanted to give him one more run. We would have loved to have won, but those were two massive obstacles to overcome, so I was happy, I thought that was a good run.”
Tarry’s three Betway Summer Cup runners Future Pearl, Litigation and Hotarubi finished 13th , 14th and 16th and he said, “I thought Future Pearl ran a reasonable race, Hotarubi from that draw things did not work out for him and you can put a line through that run, and with Litigation the run maybe came a bit soon. He was still a few kilograms overweight, he was even heavier for the Charity Mile but we got away with it over a mile, but I think he probably still needed the Summer Cup run a bit.”
Future Pearl clearly loves Durban, where his form is top drawer, and Tarry is going to take him to Cape Town and take his chances in the stayers races down there with the hope that he also loves the coastal course of Hollywoodbets Kenilworth. His long term aims will be the Hollywoodbets Durban July and World Pool Gold Cup.
Tarry is also looking forward to the Grand Heritage where he has a few entries including Champion Warrior, who seems to love the Vaal straight course.
