Racing fans are in for an intriguing day at Turffontein on Saturday with the running of the Grade 2 Senor Santa Stakes over 1160m and three Listed races, the Derby Trial, the Ormond Ferraris Oaks trial, both over 2000m, and the Aquanaut Handicap over 2400m.
With fillies and mares getting a 2.5kg sex allowance, it come as no surprise the top four best weighted runners are the fillies and it would come as no surprise were they to fight it out.
The race could be fought out by two fillies trained by Sean Tarry – Big Burn and Princess Calla.
Both have excellent form in sprints and both have run well against the colts.
Big Burn, in particular, catches the eye. She loves this course and distance, having run five times for two wins and two seconds.
Her one unplaced run is also best ignored as she pulled up fatigued, unable to show her true form. In total, she has run 11 times at Turffontein for four wins, four second and two thirds so there is much expectation she will be fighting out the finish.
There has been an interesting change in jockey arrangements as Richard Fourie, who rode her last time, has been engaged by Tarry to ride Princess Calla. However, JP van der Merwe, who is in terrific form, will be aboard Big Burn for the first time.
It has been a shrewd move by Tarry to bring Princess Cala back to sprints as it has proved most successful.
Until then, she was racing over middle distance with some decent success. She finished second to War Of Athena in the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 at Hollywoodbets Greyville an also won the Grade 1 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes over 1600m at Turffontein.
It was after that run she moved to Tarry and he brought he back in distance. He took her to Cape Town where she first contested the Grade 2 Southern Cross Stakes over 1000m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth in December, her first run in seen months. Still seenh at the 400m mark, she swooped down to catch Iphiko in the final 50m to win by 0.50 lengths.
She was then well supported to win the Grade 2 Sceptre Stakes over 1200m in the Cape and this time she showed good pace throughout, going on to win by 0.75 lengths.
Tarry then put her back to 1000m in the Grade 1 Cape Flying Championship but this time she found the trip a touch short against the best sprinters of both sexes in the country but did well to finish fifth, beaten just 1.95 lengths.
The other fillies with winning chances are Bon Vivant and Full Velocity.
Clive Robinson
