Multiple SA Champion trainer Sean Tarry has made a strategic decision to remove the blinkers from Saturday’s red-hot Wilgerbosdrift Gr2 SA Oaks favourite Rain In Holland.
He has described the move as a chance he felt he had to take to optimise the beautiful filly’s chances of winning.
Blinkers off! Sean Tarry and Kevin Sommerville welcome Richard Fourie and Rain In Holland after her SA Fillies Classic success (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The daughter of Duke Of Marmalade bids to become the third successive winner of the Wilgerbosdrift SA Triple Tiara and has worn the blinkers at all her three runs this year.
That included sensational performances to win the Gauteng Fillies Guineas and the SA Fillies Classic.
The Drakenstein bred and raced galloper, quoted at 3-10 with Hollywoodbets, tackles the 2450m on the Turffontein standside track on Saturday and if things go to plan she will bank the R1 million bonus and go into the history books as the fifth filly after Igugu (2011), Cherry On the Top (2013), Summer Pudding (2020) and War Of Athena (2021) to wear the prestigious title.
Speaking to the Sporting Post on Friday, trainer Sean Tarry said that while Rain In Holland had put in outstanding performances in the first two legs of the SA Triple, she had travelled ‘almost too well’.
“After her Hollywoodbets Greyville win in the Gr1 Thekwini Stakes as a 2yo, we always felt she may need the blinkers eventually. But she can travel a bit at the same time, so we were reluctant to introduce the equipment at her comeback runs. We waited for her to drop back to the 1400m on 1 January and she duly settled and ran on beautifully. That set her up for the series and she then won the first two legs of the SA Triple Tiara impressively,” he explained.
Rain In Holland wins in the blinkers last time (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Tarry said that he would hate to jeopardise his charge’s chance of settling in the 2450m contest on Saturday.
“They were only tiny cheetah cups in any event and I believe they have done their job in terms of teaching her to concentrate and focus. Look, it’s a chance I felt that we needed to take to maximise her winning chances.”
Tarry declared the removal of the blinkers at 10h37 on Friday morning.
See all the Derby Day feature race betting here:
