Sean Tarry’s Vodacom Durban July reserve Shango found his best form for an admirable consolation success when he scythed through the centre late to win the R150 000 Gr3 Hollywoodbets 2200 at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday.
The 4yo bay gelding has been on the fringes but was finding the winner’s enclosure for the first time in eighteen months. Shango had surgery after running unplaced in the July last year and confirmed his form for the old firm of Sean Tarry and part-owner Chris van Niekerk.
Shango (Luyola Mxothawa in red sleeve) bursts between Black Knap and Silver Host to win a cracker (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
In a race of muddled fractions, Diego De Gouveia on Share Holder and Richard Fourie on The Gatekeeper upped the ante a measure early on after Keagan de Melo had hit anchors on the grey Azores.
Coming into the 300m, it was anybody’s race as Shango shifted out slightly for a clear run.
Under a terrific balanced ride by the underrated Luyola Mxothwa, Shango (8-1) got up in a thriller to hold off the luckless favourite Black Knap (3-1) with another July reserve in Silver Host (5-1) only a head back in third.
The winner’s time of 138,45 secs was over seven seconds outside the course record.
On missing out on a Vodacom Durban July run for Shango, Sean Tarry was philosophical.
“You think you have planned things perfectly and you don’t even get a look in. But full marks to Hollywodbets for again putting down the money,” he added.
Watch the replay here:
The Heritage Stud-bred Shango was a R425 000 CTS Ready To Run graduate and has won four races with seven places from 15 stars for stakes of R724 375.
The original first graded stakes winner for former SA Champion Sprinter Captain Of All, the Heritage Stud-bred Shango is out of the four-time winning Jet Master mare, Scorched.
Sean Tarry has enjoyed plenty of success with the family.
This was the first leg of the Place Accumulator. The pool reached R1 576 257. The projected target was R1,8 million.
