Legend Of Arthur winning the SA Derby (JC Photos)
Sean Tarry believes the Gr 3 Betway Victory Moon Stakes, to be run on Sunday at Turffontein Standside, will be a stepping stone race for Gr 1 SA Derby winner Legend Of Arthur, who is the 11/1 joint fourth favourite for the Gr 1 Betway Summer Cup.
Tarry said about the Lancaster Bomber colt, “This run will bring him to his peak. It is his second run after a rest and it does come a little bit soon after his reappearance, he is a little bit out at the weights (3,5kg under sufferance) and he has a wide draw. If he had to be running on to finish fifth or sixth I would be more than happy as that would give me three weeks until the big one and I’m sure that will work perfectly for him.”
Tarry explained recently that Legend Of Arthur’s downturn in form last season after the Derby had likely been due to allergies brought on by the winter dust and he had seemed to have recovered from that setback
He said about his other Victory Moon contender, One World gelding Don’t Cry For Me, “He’s got some good form over the distance. You can put a line through his two bad runs because he pulled in those races, although one of them was over 2450m. His runs to both Choisaanada and Confederate at the weights were very good runs and he needed his last run, so I think with 51kg, a half-decent draw and he enjoys the softer going I think he is a runner.”
He concluded about the Victory Moon, “Both of mine seem to go well in the soft, but you don’t want muddy, sloshy going, especially at this crucial stage of Legend Of Arthur’s prep.”
Tarry has three runners in the Listed Betway Summer Pudding Handicap over 1600m an said, “Gerbera has had a beauiful prep, there is a lot in her favour, she has a decent chance. Care Forgot is very similar in that it is her third run after a rest, she needed her first run back badly, made good improvement just a fortnight later and that should have brought her on a lot, she’s not out of it. That’s My Baby is a talented filly who seems to have an affinity for Hollywoodbets Greyville, we just hope she settles on Sunday, she does often tug a bit too hard, she’s won over the distance before and only had three attempts at it, however this trip at Turffontein in the soft might be a tough ask.”
