SA champion trainer Sean Tarry produced the Wilgerbosdrift Gr2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas hat-trick at Turffontein on Saturday with a surprise winner in the form of the Dynasty grey Smiling Blue Eyes, who finished with a sustained flourish under Raymond Danielson to register her biggest career success to date.
Raymond Danielson has Smiling Blue Eyes out in front to win the first leg of the SA Triple Tiara (Pic – JC Photos)
Tarry won this race last year with Heaps Of Fun and in 2015 with Siren’s Call – who was to go on and be pipped at the final hurdle of the Triple Tiara by Pine Princess.
But he was presented with another tilt at the trophy won by Igugu in 2011 and Cherry On The Top in 2013, in the shape of the very well-related good-looking Smiling Blue Eyes.
She had popped up at any price in a post-maiden Gr3 Fillies Mile success on Summer Cup day and had not seen action since – until lining up on Saturday as one of the lesser fancied of the Tarry quartet
Running from a carded 19 draw and with fitness doubts after a 14 week break, there was no pressure on Raymond Danielson as he had the 22-1 Smiling Blue Eyes in midfield and following a wide path around her field, as Last Chirp showed the way from Babbling Brooke and Ektifaa.
In the home run, Smiling Blue Eyes floated up the outside rail as Ektifaa and Orchid Island looked dangerous in the centre.
Sean Tarry – this could be his big year
At the 300m marker it was clear that nothing was going better, and Smiling Blue Eyes shot into the lead to win going away by 2,60 lengths in a time of 100,47 secs.
The lesser fancied of the De Kock quartet, Al Hawraa came out to chase the winner home, as Orchid Island ran out of steam, but managed to hang on for third.
Babbling Brooke appeared to run in patches but rallied well to get fourth.
After a tough campaign, Tony Ruffel Stakes winner Ektifaa faded after being prominent for a long way and finished sixth, 5,50 lengths off the winner.
Three Troikas winner Anna Pavlova, running under new ownership, made up plenty of ground from way back into sixth.
Safe Harbour (8,55 lengths) never showed.
Raymond Danielson rode the winner
The most exciting aspect of Smiling Blue Eyes’ terrific win is that she is bred to go further and could well go on and make a bold bid for Triple Tiara glory.
A R650 000 Cape Premier Yearling Sale Book 1 graduate, she was bred by Highlands, and is by Dynasty out of the five-time winning Badger Land mare, Sage Blue – who won from a mile to 2000m.
The winner is a half sister to, amongst others, the stallion Russian Sage (Jallad) and Gr3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup runner-up, Sage Throne.
Smiling Blue Eyes has won 3 of her 5 starts for stakes of R542 875.
The Triple Tiara is the richest series of races for fillies in Africa and a bonus of R1 million will be paid to the owner of the winner of all three legs of the series.
We march on to the second leg, the R1-million Wilgerbosdrift Gr1 SA Fillies Classic to be run over 1800m on Saturday 1 April. The third leg is the R1-million Wilgerbosdrift Gr2 SA Oaks run over 2450m on 6 May.
_________
Gr2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas (SAf-Gr2)
Turffontein, South Africa, March 4, R500k, 1600m, turf, soft, 1.40.47
1 – SMILING BLUE EYES (SAF), 60.0, gr f 3, Dynasty (SAF) – Sage Blue (SAF) by Badger Land (USA). Owner Al Adiyaat South Africa (Pty) Ltd; Breeder Highlands; trainer SG Tarry; jockey R Danielson
2 – Al Hawraa (AUS), 60.0, b f 3, New Approach (IRE) – Ijaaza (AUS) by Redoute’s Choice (AUS)
3 – Orchid Island (SAF), 60.0, b f 3, Silvano (GER) – Ilha Grande (SAF) by Tiger Ridge (USA)
Margins: 2.60, 1.00, 0.80
