Sean Tarry – different approach
National Champion Trainer elect Sean Tarry will be taking a different approach to the Champions Season this year and also to the Vodacom Durban July.
He will prepare his horses from Johannesburg for their first Champions Season runs and play it by ear from there and he might also run his horses fresh in the July, depending on how safe their place in the field is according to the July log.
He said that his Gr 1 SA Derby winner Legal Eagle would with 90% certainty miss the Gr 1 Daily News 2000.
Legal Eagle and other colts and geldings have hardly any July preparation opportunities on the Highveld and on that point Tarry was shocked to find that there was a Pinnacle Plate at the end of May and one in June both over sprint distances but none over 1600m and beyond for July horses.
Legal Eagle – Jubilee Handicap looks the only option
Therefore, the Gr3 Jubilee Handicap over 1800m on June 14 looks to be the only possibility of a July preparation on the Highveld for Legal Eagle.
Siren’s Call might have a July pipe opener in a Pinnacle Plate over 1400m in early June.
Tarry, considering the importance of draws at both Greyville and down the Scottsville straight, lamented the spacing of some of the big Champions Season races as it didn’t allow the opportunity to see where a horse was drawn in both. If drawing badly in the first of the races one either had to take one’s chances or hope for a better draw in the second.
His options for the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint runner up Carry On Alice would be either the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint or the Gr 2 Tibouchina and either the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes or the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint.
Former SA Nursery and Dingaans winner Willow Magic will have either the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint or the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge as his first Champions Season run.
Bichette is on her own at the finish of the Camellia Stakes (JC Photos)
Impressive six length Gr 2 Camellia Stakes winner Bichette is entered in both the Tsogo Sun Sprint and City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint and promising three-year-old colt Zambezi River is a Tsogo Sun Sprint entry.
Debut winner Donny G is entered in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold medallion and Tarry said, “He was quite impressive but he’s got a lot to learn.”
Six length debut winner Swift Sarah is entered in the Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship.
Gr 1 SA Classic winner French Navy will go for the Gr 1 for Daily News 2000 and Trophy Wife and Tamaanee will go for the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000.
Tarry was pleased with Trophy Wife’s 4,1 length seventh in the GR 2 RA Fillies Guineas on Saturday and said, “She ran a very good race, she only got into the race late and took off in the last 100m, although I haven’t seen the 400m to finish times.”
Tarry has eleven horses in total entered in the July and he will decide their routes upon seeing the first July log. He said that he had learnt that “by prepping horses you can unqualify yourself”, so some of his incumbents in the top 18 might go into the big race fresh.
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