Sean Tarry celebrated a feature double at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday when the well-supported Mid Winter Wind endorsed the betting interest to win the R200 000 Gr3 Byerley Turk in good style.
Mid Winter Wind was given a confident ride by Smanga Khumalo to beat the luckless Gimmeanotherchance under Craig Zackey (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
It was Tarry’s first victory in the Byerley Turk since Lyle Hewitson won the race on Africa Rising in 2017.
Originally carded to run at Turffontein on Saturday, and with his ‘wide draw’ here negated by scratchings, Mid Winter Wind jumped on the outside of the six horse field and tracked the 5-2 favourite Underworld all the way around, before exploding through late.
In conditions that appeared to suit him, the son of What A Winter, backed from double digits into 5-2, was given a confident ride by Smanga Khumalo to beat the luckless Gimmeanotherchance (5-2), who had to marginally check late, by 1,50 lengths in a time of 84,73 secs.
Red Bomber (8-1) was a further 1,20 lengths back in third, with Snow Pilot (8-1), who conceded 6kgs to the opposition, never in it, but rounding off the quartet in fourth. Snow Pilot appeared to jump the strip at the pull-up, in his first start in KZN.
His favourite and stablemate Underworld (5-2) was the first horse beaten and disappointingly ran out of the first four.
Bred and raced by Drakenstein Stud, the winner, who went through the Cape Premier Yearling Sale ring for R600 000, was another feature success on the afternoon for What A Winter (Western Winter).
He is out of the Dynasty five-time winner, Lady In Black, winner of the Gr1 Thekwini Stakes, who coincidentally also won the fairer sex equivalent, the Gr3 Umzimkhulu Stakes, on this day in 2018.
While he is yet to be tried beyond 1400m, Mid Winter Wind should get a mile.
Mid Winter Wind, who was racing off a rating of 96, has not been beaten since shedding his maiden at Turffontein on 25 January and took his tally to 4 wins from 7 starts with 3 places and stakes of R435 250.
