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Sean Tarry will be hoping to hold all of the Gold Cup, Gold Bowl and Gold Vase (pictured above) by the end of the season as his Futura gelding Future Pearl will try and clinch the unofficial stayers “Gold” triple crown on Sunday. (Candiese Lenferna Photography). 

 

Sean Tarry has four horses who are in prime position to win Equus Awards and three of them appear on World Pool Gold Cup day i.e Future Pearl, Princess Calla and Lucky Lad.

 
He spoke to Turf Talk about all of his runners on the day.
 
He said about his World Pool Gold Cup favourite Future Pearl, “He’s had a lovely preparation. It is a big weight for a three-year-old. However, the bottom weights are carrying 54kg, so that certainly helps. I think most of the field is under sufferance. Future Pearl is officially 2,5kg out at the weights with Shangani according to merit ratings, but his merit rating raise last time was capped, so he in fact might only be 1kg out.”
 
He said about the draw of four, which is one higher than the draw of three from which he won the Gr 3 DSTV Gold Vase last time, “I always think a draw in this race is a plus. To capitalise on a good draw you need to know how fast they are going to be going. It is no good being caught on the inside of a slow run race. We are mindful it can get a little rough in the early parts and the pace can also be a little bit muddling and stop start down the back. But it’s just part of the deal. He’s in good order and I’m happy with the draw, I’m happy with everything.”
 
He said about the probability of the ground being faster than Future Pearl had for his two Gr 3 wins, “He has run well enough on normal ground, but his two impressive wins were with the sting out of the ground … I don’t want to make too much of it, it is just an observation.” 
 
Future Pearl is the favourite at present to win the Equus Champion Stayer Award as he has won both the Gr 3 WSB Gold Bowl and Gr 3 Gold Vase in commanding style. He will be attempting to emulate the 2017 feat of Hermoso Mundo by winning the unofficial “Gold” staying race triple crown. 
 
Tarry is also happy with his 2021 Gold Cup winner Nebraas, who will be reunited with Lyle Hewitson.
 
He said, “Lyle knows him better than anyone. Lyle left a very good jockey and I’m sure he’s coming back a great jockey.”
 
Nebraas is only half-a-kilogram under sufferance with topweight Shangani and jumps from draw seven.
 
The Gr 1 World Pool Moment Of The Day Champion Stakes sees the two-year-old race of the season as Lucky Lad faces Sandringham Summit and Main Defender.
 
Tarry said about Lucky Lad, “He is very well, very happy with him. Obviously the draw (13 out of 14) is a big concern. He’s obviously a top horse but he needs to have a bit of luck in running.  He has a great turn of foot, but things need to go well in the first half of the race to be able to assess whether his turn of foot is the same over this trip.”
 
Tarry is confident he will enjoy the 1600m trip.
 
He continued, “The Africa House would be my second choice on form. A line can be drawn through his Gold Medallion run, he got the worst of the interference and he had to miss July day because he wasn’t quite right after that incident. He’s also got a poor draw, he will need luck in running, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see a very good finish from him.”  
 
He said about Longsword, “He is a lovely big horse, he’s probably going to be a better three-year-old. He was definitely made way too much use of behind Main Defender, he should get a lot closer if ridden a bit more conservatively.”
 
He continued, “Hotarubi and Longsword are both on the up but it is yet to be seen whether they are anywhere near this company. We are hopeful of good runs, but there are three or four horses in the field who are decent.”
 
Princess Calla runs in the Gr 1 HKJC World Pool Champions Cup ridden by Richard Fourie from draw ten out of 12 and Tarry said, “I’m very happy with her preparation, she’s in good order. I’m not going to tie Richard down to any instructions, he’s got to navigate the draw. She’s quite a straight forward mare, so it shouldn’t be too complicated. On ratings she’s got a massive chance and on form she’s got a massive chance. Obviously the question mark is the distance, but she has run well enough before over the distance to let us feel that she can get it. She ran second to War Of Athena in the Woolavington, she’s run well enough in the Paddock Stakes and she ran fifth in the Met in just her sixth career start.” 
 
She could even be named Equus Horse Of The Year if she wins and Tarry said, “I don’t like to get to involved thinking of all that, but she has done precious little wrong all season. Even in the Computaform Sprint she wasn’t even ready, I had to use that as a prep run for HWB Scottsville because she was sick before that.”
 
He runs Thunderstruck in the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint and said, “Perfect preparation and happy with the draw, but at the ratings he’s got a mountain to climb.” 
 
Tarry has two runners in the Gr 1 Douglas Whyte Stakes over 1600m, Let’s Go Now (Gimmethegreenlight) and That’s My Baby (Master Of My Fate).
 
He said, “Let’s Go Now has got scope for improvement but I just think this race might be coming a bit too soon for her, she will be a much better filly in a few months time. But she is in good form and she’s got a good draw and a top jockey (Keagan de Melo). For That’s My Baby it’s the right course and distance, right race, right prep, but obviously the draw (14 out of 14) is a concern. I don’t think this is the strongest field. My fillies have both got chances. They are very different fillies. I think it would have made a big difference to That’s My Baby if she had the draw, she could have really capitalised.”
 
Tarry said That’s My Baby’s prep into her penultimate start over 1400m had not gone too smoothly and her last start over 1200m had been too sharp, so her fourth and third places there respectively were more or less expected.
 
“She is in better order now,” he added.
 
Tarry runs Tail Of The Comet, who won impressively on debut at HWB Scottsville on Sunday, in the Gr 2 Tabgold Umkomazi Stakes over 1200m and he said, “He’s come out of the race well, although we will monitor him on a daily basis. We weren’t sure whether he would be effective down the straight because we thought he would lack early speed and would run on. He will be better over a little further and is a good prospect.”
 
He runs Kingdom Of Gold and American Graffiti in the Gr 2 World Pool With Gold Circle Debutante over 1200m and said, “Kingdom Of Gold has been working very well but has a draw of nine. American Graffiti was coming back from a bit of a break last time over 1300 and the sting was out of the ground so it stretched her a bit, but we had draw one then and now we’ve got draw 13.”    
 
He runs Bless My Stars and Rock My Fox in the Gr 2 World Pool With Gold Circle Gold Bracelet over 2000m and said, “Bless My Stars has come out of the July very well. She is going to have it tough at the weights (has to carry a Gr 1 penalty) but her run in the July was good enough for her to have a good chance in a race like this. There was nothing between these two as early three-year-olds but Rock My Fox then got injured before the classics. She needed her two comeback runs, I was happy with them, and  she’s in good order. She’s got a mountain to climb on the official ratings, but as I say there wasn’t much between her and Bless My Stars as early three-year-olds.”
 
Tarry is hoping for the best with Magic Tattoo from a tough draw in the Listed Umngeni Handicap.