Blanket! Tudor Star wins the Aloe Handicap under Nuresh Juglall at Arlington on Frida
The R80 000 non-black type Aloe Handicap run over 1300m at Arlington on Friday, produced a scintillating spectacle with a blanket finish producing all kinds of drama. Tara Laing and Nooresh Juglall teamed up with the winner, Tudor Star, who has settled in well in her new home.
The former Snaith-trained filly registered her second win in the space of five days after winning a MR 66 Handicap over 1400m at the same track last Monday. A great training feat by Tara Laing, a former assistant in the Snaith set-up.
The pace was hot from the off with Dreamwalker leading Empress Tibbs and Tudor Star, with the fancied The Magic Kingdom tucked away against the rail. At this stage Deepo was near the rear, just ahead of Break Of Dawn, Iamtheone and with Between The Covers loping along in last.
Top Ride! Nooresh Juglall rode the winner for the Tara Laing yard
Into the home straight Dreamwalker continued to gallop powerfully as Empress Tibbs and Kiss From A Rose looked dangerous.
Inside the 300m marker Juglall produced Tudor Star who ran on powerfully to hold the disastrous interrupted passage of a flying Deepo.
Tudor Star ran on strongly after being caught three wide from the worst of the draw to win by a short-head in time of 78.70 secs.
The former Eastern Cape Champion juvenile filly Deepo, found her better form after an extended blank spell, and ran a cracker in second after all that trouble.
Kiss From A Rose and long-time pacemaker Dreamwalker dead-heated for third.
Tudor Star survived an objection lodged by the rider of Deepo after the Albert Hall filly had taken some bad knocks in the final stages.
Aldo Domeyer alleged interference at the 600m and 400m markers, and while Deepo undoubtedly had a rough passage in the home straight, the cause hardly appeared to be the winning filly.
The objection may have just been a touch of post-race frustration from the Cape jockey.
In a blanket finish, with only 1,40 lengths separating the first eight fillies home, the even-money favourite The Magic Kingdom was not disgraced to run joint seventh.
Tudor Star has won 3 of her 9 races with 2 places for gross stakes of R137 455.
She runs in the familiar green, yellow and black of the Jooste partnership. The same combination won the next race with the moody but talented Parceval.
Bred by Moutonshoek, Tudor Star cost R70 000 at the National Yearling Sale and is by the irrepressible Captain Al out the Rich Man’s Gold mare, Trojan Star, who never won a race.
The winner has probably earned a short rest now. This was her third outing in Port Elizabeth and she has earned at all three. Proof again that it makes little sense battling in Cape Town, when they can earn up the coast.
