Daniel Tarry’s gesture sums up what most viewers felt after the running of the Gr 1 Golden Horse Sprint won by a low-flying Lucky Lad i.e. “How did he do that?!” (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
Sean Tarry had a simple explanation for Lucky Lad’s disappointing unplaced run in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge on Saturday and he took time to talk about all of his other horses too.
“I don’t think he got the mile,” said Tarry.
He said Lucky Lad, who ran in the race a week after his breathtaking win in the Gr 1 Golden Horse Sprint, had come out of the race well and was still on track for the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint at the end of the season.
Meanwhile, Cousin Casey made it a second runner up finish in succession in KZN when beaten just 2,20 lengths in the Gr 1 wfa Gold Challenge on Saturday.
It was a fine comeback after his Gr 1 Premier’s Champion Challenge run, where he was eased out of the race.
Tarry said the evidence pointed to him being capable of staying the 2200m trip of the Hollywoodbets Durban July.
He said, “He got beat 2,30 lengths in the Daily News last year (when he was unlucky too) and he got beat 1,80 lengths in the Met before that. So, I don’t know why I shouldn’t believe he stays, it is in black and white for everybody to see.”
Cousin Casey has taken a bit of a hold early on in some of his races recently, but Sean said, “I think he’s settling way better than he was, I’m not unhappy at the moment.”
S’Manga Khumalo has ridden him in his last two starts in KZN, with the Gold Challenge second being preceded by a 0,25 length second to Royal Aussie in the Gr 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes.
Sean confirmed S’Manga will be aboard for the July. Both Sean and S’Manga will be going for their third respective wins in the big race and they have done it together once, with Heavy Metal (Silvano) in 2013.
Sean said about possible overseas campaigns for the Gimmethegreenlight colt Lucky Lad, “That is jumping the gun a little bit, we can’t get ahead of ourselves on what he beat. There were a few horses out at the weights, but he seems to get it done anyway. It’s exciting to watch, but the horses in the firing line are not superstars.”
Lucky Lad clinched Tarry his 20th Gr 1 win at Hollywoodbets Scottsville when winning the Gr 1 Golden Horse Sprint, where he carried 54,5kg and was one of only four horses who were in the handicap i.e. not running under sufferance.
However, an inkling of why he is so successsful as a trainer came in his reply to the question, “How did you feel about getting your 20th Gr 1 win there?”
He replied, “I would feel a lot better if it was 22!”
Tarry has twice gone within an ace of landing the grandslam at the Festival Of Speed meeting i.e. winning all four Gr 1s on the day, as he has twice had three Gr 1 wins coupled with a narrow miss in the other Gr 1.
So this year’s return of six Gr 1 runners on the day for two wins, three seconds and a third was not actually his best ever performance at the meeting, amazingly enough.
It did at least amaze his son Daniel, who later spoke of how his father had bought Lucky Lad back from a wind operation to be looking, and running, as well as he ever had.
The yard’s other Gr 1 winner on the day was the two-year-old Gimmethegreenlight colt Proceed, who won the Gold Medallion.
Sean said he was likely to now be targeted at the Gr 1 Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m on Hollywoodbets Durban July day.
He said, “He came out of that last race very well. He’s done nothing wrong over sprints and it’s hard to say he’s going to improve over 1400m, but I do think he’ll be able to step up.”
Cosmic Speed (Querari) came from a wide draw in the Gold Medallion and was a 0,75 length second, so Tarry was also thinking of the Golden Horseshoe for him.
In the Gr 1 Allan Robertson his The United States filly Rodeo Drive came from a wide draw and was snared late in the day by Quid Pro Quo and beaten just 0,30 lengths. She will also be nominated for July day. The Gr 2 Golden Slipper over 1400m is the fillies race on the day, but trainers often nominate their fillies for the colts and geldings event too, in case they draw wide in the fillies race.
Mrs Browning (Rafeef) was caught late in the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint and beaten a long-head by October Morn and the big What A Winter feeling Winter Greeting was a 3,45 length third.
Tarry said he was considering nominating both horses for the Gr 2 Post Merchants over 1200m on July day, although he added he might even nominate Winter Greeting for the Gr 1 Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes.
Winter Greeting tends to race a bit too hard early, but she should otherwise get a mile, and the Garden Province does not look likely to be a vintage renewal this year.
Tarry also has two other July entries still standing, besides Cousin Casey, in Future Pearl and Hotarubi.
Future Pearl runs in the Gr 3 Track And Ball Derby over 2400m on Saturday at Hollywoodbets Greyville.
Future Pearl did the “Stayers Triple Crown” last season, but has been unplaced in four starts between 1400m and 2000m this season.
Tarry said, “He had a few niggles and we just went slowly with him at the start of the season and we have built him up. Unfortunately, he ended up in front last time, which is not the way he runs, so we can ignore his last run, but he’s making good progress. I’m quite happy with him.”
Saturday’s race will be a last gasp atttempt for Future Pearl to get into the July final field.
Hotarubi has done little wrong all season. He finished a three length fifth and a 2,5 length fourth in the Gr 1 SA Classic over 1800m and Gr 1 SA Derby over 2450m respectively and followed that with a narrow second in the Gr 2 Colorado King Stakes over 2000m. He was also earlier third in a Gr 3 over 1400m and second in the Gr 2 Gauteng Guineas.
However, in his last start he finished a 6,95 length seventh in the Daily News 2000, when suffering a nightmare wide trip, and he was consequently dropped out of the top 20 on the Hollywoodbets Durban July log.
Two top 20 in the log incumbents have been scratched though and Sean said, “I’m very happy with the horse, he’s doing well. I don’t believe the Daily News was a true run run race, but if he gets in, he gets in, if he doesn’t, we’ll have to put a plan B.”
Mid Winter Wind ran fifth in the Daily News 2000 but Sean said he had been sold. He was a Drakenstein Stud homebred.
