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Tarry Swinging Towards Champions Cup For Calla

By July 14, 2023SA Racing

Princess Calla (Candiese Lenferna Photography). 

 

Sean Tarry’s top class mare Princess Calla has wrapped up the Equus Champion older female award but there is still the possibility she could add the Equus Champion Sprinter award as well as the Equus Horse Of The Year award.

She is entered in two Gr 1 weight for age races on World Pool Gold Cup, the HKJC World Pool Champions Cup over 1800m and the Mercury Sprint over 1200m.

If she wins whichever one she runs in she will go top of the Equus Horse Of The Year points table.

However, despite the champion sprinter title being on the line, Tarry is swinging towards the Champions Cup.

The Flower Alley mare has drawn badly in both events, 12 out of 14 in the Champions Cup and 11 out of 17 in the Mercury Sprint. 

However, the country’s joint highest rated sprinter Gimme A Prince has drawn well in five and that is one of the reasons Tarry felt the Champions Cup would be a better option.

Princess Calla has proven she stays middle distances, finishing third in the Gr 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes in just her fifth career start, second to War Of Athena in the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 and a 0,70 length fourth to Captain’s Ransom in the Gr 1 Paddock Stakes last year.

A number of horses entered in the Champions Cup ran in the Hollywoodbets Durban July and Tarry said that the July  could “rattle” horses. That is another reason he is opting for the Champions Cup for Princess Calla, although he did point out that Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge third-placed Zapatillas would come in fresh and was well drawn.
Tarry’s crack two-year-old colt Lucky Lad also drew wide in the Gr 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes. He said he would see how things panned out with scratchings before deciding to run him. 
 
He said about his other potential leading runners on the day, “We are obviously considering running Bless My Stars in the Gr 2 Gold Bracelet (the July third-placed horse has drawn 8 out of 15). Thunderstruck has a tough task at the weights in the Mercury (where he drew reasonably well in 7 out of 17).”   
 
Meanwhile, the new darling of the SA turf, Mrs Geriatrix, is enjoying a deserved holiday on the Precentor Place farm of Sue and Jodi Pieters.
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