The Sean Tarry big race artillery boomed early on Super Saturday at Hollywoodbets Greyville with the champion team taking the exacta honours in the R300 000 Gr2 Debutante.
The 2yo fillies’ feature had an open look about it and that was reflected in the betting market with Dennis Drier’s recent Hollywoodbets Scottsville debut runner-up Maidens Prayer starting a 19-10 favourite.
Gavin Lerena steers Montreal Mist to victory over stablemate Spiritofthegroove (Lyle Hewitson) in a Tarry exacta
But as has been the case so often this term, it was the Sean Tarry runners who dominated the finish, with Gavin Lerena producing the two -time winner Montreal Mist with a powerful finish to give his sponsor’s Wilgerbosdrift’s late National Assembly sire Soft Falling Rain a first graded stakes winner.
Montreal Mist was easy to back at 8-1 and held off her gutsy grey stablemate Spiritofthegroove (17-1) by 0,60 lengths in a time of 73 secs.
Recent maiden winner Winter Sun shaded the favourite out of third.
Trainer Sean Tarry said the winner had thrived in KZN and had come on leaps and bounds.
Gavin Lerena said that Montreal Mist had ‘just blossomed’ in the space of a few weeks and he said t was an honour to win a feature for Mary Slack and Mike Javett.
It was a great start to the day for the family with Flower Alley winning the first and Ideal World the second race.
Bred by Clifton Stud, the winner is by Wilgerbosdrift’s deceased sire Soft Falling Rain. Interestingly, Lerena also rode the late Equus winning 2yo’s first ever winner in Gin Fizz.
A R700 000 National Yearling Sale purchase, Montreal Mist is out of the Var mare Esterel – a four time winner.
Montreal Mist has won 3 races with 3 places from 7 starts for stakes of R429 625.
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Gr2 Debutante (SAf-Gr2)
Greyville, South Africa, July 27, R300k, 1200m, turf, good, 1.13.13
1 – MONTREAL MIST (SAF), 60.0, ch f 2, Soft Falling Rain (SAF) – Esterel (SAF) by Var (USA). Owner Mrs M Slack & Mr M B Javett; Breeder Clifton Stud; trainer SG Tarry; jockey G Lerena
2 – Spiritofthegroove (SAF), 60.0, gr f 2, Visionaire (USA) – Band Of Angels (SAF) by National Assembly (CAN)
3 – Winter Sun (SAF), 60.0, b f 2, What A Winter (SAF) – Sharada (SAF) by Parade Leader (USA)
Margins: 0.60, 0.90, 0.30
