Trainer Tara Laing made it three winners from four runnings of the R150 000 Listed Memorial Mile at Fairview on Friday when the Dynasty colt Stormy Eclipse held on well in a thrilling finish to the afternoon’s feature.
Charles Ndlovu gets Stormy Eclipse up from a hopeless position to win (Pic – Pauline Herman Photography)
Ms Laing, who ran the champion Snaith yard with distinction for ten years and has been trainer to Mayfair Speculators with outstanding results for many years , has opened her yard to new owners and on her current statistics should have patrons queuing up.
“I have boxes available and have a powerful team behind me in Gavin Venter and top-class staff. I wouldn’t have achieved the results we have without these professionals and 2018 holds some exciting times ahead for us,” added the charismatic lady trainer who has been in the game for close on thirty years.
Her current win strike rate of 17% is tops in the Eastern Cape for trainers with double digit runners, and she is a very decent third on the national log top 25 behind the powerful yards of Mike de Kock and Paul Peter.
Tara is a noted specialist conditioner when it comes to rejuvenating horses and her record with the likes of six -in-a-row winning Red Barrel, champion fourteen-time winner Crown Of Gold and the gallant champion Sir Duke are just a few examples of how she has resurrected careers and put horses back on the winning track.
Lady and the grey – Tara and Stormy Eclipse (Pic – Pauline Herman Photography)
And her Friday feature winner Stormy Eclipse is another example of a refreshing second phaser – the Dynasty gelding in prime form after losing his sparkle in KZN.
The yard’s dominance of the Memorial Mile in recent years was underlined by the handsome grey’s cracking victory from an impossible position at the 200m.
Tara trained Red Barrel to win the 2014 Memorial Mile, won the race in 2016 with the Australian-bred Readytogorightnow and maintained her dominance with Stormy Eclipse on Friday.
Charles Ndlovu, who has formed a solid relationship with the gelding, got him to fly late and the pair shaded Razed In Black to win by a short head in a time of 997,48 secs.
Former Gr1 winner Afrikaburn was a half length away in third.
The Ascot Stud-bred Stormy Eclipse is a son of Dynasty (Fort Wood) out of the brilliant fourteen-time winner Stormy Appeal (Kilconnel).
A R2 million National Yearling Sale buy, Stormy Eclipse has blossomed in the Eastern Cape – his career total now being 7 races won with 16 places from 28 starts for stakes of R711 600. Tara says she feels that Stormy Eclipse has a good few seasons left in him and is ‘as sound as a bell’.
Tara says that she has some nice horses in training that are currently for sale – and they are on the market with the proviso that they stay in the Tara Laing string.
Looking to race in Port Elizabeth? Drop Tara an email on [email protected]
