Tarry’s Day The Best In SA History?

Princess Calla cruises to victory and clinches Sean Tarry and Richard Fourie a Gr 1 treble together on Saturday (Picture: Candiese Lenferna)..

Has there ever in SA history been a more dominant multiple Gr 1-winning performance from one stable in one day than that produced by Sean Tarry at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday.

The Festival Of Speed meeting is the only meeting in SA these days that features four Gr 1 events and they are usually ultra competitive.

However, the first three of them on Saturday were one way traffic. Tarry charges Mrs Geriatrix, Lucky Lad and Princess Calla all won easing up by wide margins.

Tarry was within spitting distance of landing a historic Gr 1 Grandslam as his Gold Medallion winner of last season, Thunderstruck, was caught late in the Golden Horse Sprint while dueling with Surjay. He just got the better of the latter to finish a 0,90 length second, so it was the nearest possible set of results to a Grandslam.

Peerless big-race rider Richard Fourie was aboard all three winners.

Fourie placed his mounts faultlessly in the running and his timing was impeccable.

Tarry’s Gr 1 tally at the Pietermaritzburg track has now soared to 18.

In fact he has won 50% of the 16 Gr 1s held there this decade and it goes up to 55% over the last five years.

Starting in 2019 he won the Gold Medallion with Eden Roc, the SA Fillies Sprint with Celtic Sea and the Tsogo Sun (Golden Horse) Sprint with Chimichuri Run.

In 2020 he won the SA Fillies Sprint with Celtic Sea and the Golden Horse with Warrior’s Rest.

In 2021 he won the Allan Robertson Championship with Under Your Spell.

In 2022 he won the Allan Robertson with Sweet Pepper and the Gold Medallion with Thunderstruck.

He added three more on Saturday.

So that is 8 out of 16 this decade and 11 out of 20 in the last five years.

No day is ever perfect and Lucky Lad, despite being probably the most impressive winner of the day, was the subject of an inquiry.

The unbeaten colt hung inward drastically when quickening and the stipendiary steward report states: “An Inquiry will be opened into why EGYPTIAN MAU (C Zackey), THE AFRICA HOUSE (S Khumalo) and GUY GIBSON (M Yeni) suffered interference leaving the 400m.”

Lucky Lad was switched to the right to get past the The Abdicator at the 400m, but continued to hang right bumping Egyptian Mau who was knocked sideways into The Africa House, who was knocked sideways into Guy Gibson.

Guy Gibson and Egyptian Mau recovered well to run third and fourth respectively.

However, Fourie was handed a ten day suspension after the inquiry.

The interference definitely would not have made any difference to who the winner of the race was as Lucky Lad was clearly superior to the field.

Tarry had been coined the king of Hollywoodbets Scottsville in the build up to Saturday’s meeting and he filly justified the accolade.