Sean Tarry produced his second successive feature exacta on the trot at Turffontein on Saturday when the Dynasty filly Smiling Blue Eyes showed good improvement to step up from her recent maiden win to score a knockout in the R275 000 Gr3 Fillies Mile.
A half hour earlier, Tarry had picked up 1-2 in the Gr2 Merchants, and he quickly repeated the trick here.
Grant van Niekerk has Smiling Blue Eyes in front as stablemate Tambalang (S’manga Khumalo) chases in vain (Pic – JC Photos)
The start of this race was disrupted by a bizarre false start which saw the gates casually opening with only half the field loaded. Five fillies jumped and were pulled up – the quintet included the favourite Dame Eleanor, who was to produce no kind of effort.
The Corne Spies pair carted them along at a solid gallop, with Smiling Blue Eyes loping along near the back.
In the run for home the leaders came back to their field and inside the 300m it was the Tarry pair of Smiling Blue Eyes and Tambalang who came together to fight it out.
The grey was always going the better and after changing legs late in the race, she came forward powerfully at 22-1 to hold off the challenge of her stablemate by a length in a time of 100,16 secs.
Being Fabulous also showed good post-maiden promise, finishing a length further back in third, with Babbling Brooke failing to kick and running fourth.
The 5-2 favourite Dame Eleanor was a disappointing fifth, with the fancied Santiburi dropping out to finish well downfield.
The grey has now won 2 races from 4 starts for stakes of R230 375.
Smiling Blue Eyes is a R650 000 Cape Premier Yearling Sale Book 1 graduate.
Bred by Highlands, she is by Dynasty out of the five-time winning Badger Land mare, Sage Blue.
She is well related and is a half sister to, amongst others, the stallion Russian Sage (Jallad) and Gr3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup runner-up, Sage Throne.
She races in the interests of Al Adiyaat South Africa (Pty) Ltd and could be an Oaks candidate.
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Gr3 Fillies Mile (SAf-Gr3)
Turffontein, South Africa, November 26, R275k, 1600m, turf, soft, 1.40.16
1 – SMILING BLUE EYES (SAF), 60.0, gr f 3, Dynasty (SAF) – Sage Blue (SAF) by Badger Land (USA). Owner Al Adiyaat South Africa (Pty) Ltd; Breeder Highlands; trainer SG Tarry; jockey G v Niekerk
2 – Tambalang (SAF), 60.0, b f 3, Go Deputy (USA) – Salita (SAF) by Western Winter (USA)
3 – Being Fabulous (AUS), 60.0, b f 3, High Chaparral (IRE) – Dashing Eagle (AUS) by Danehill (USA)
Margins: 1.00, 1.00, 0.25
