Sean Tarry is R1.4 million short of catching Justin Snaith in the race for the National Trainer’s Championship at he will be making a last-ditch effort to close the gap on World Pool Gold Cup day at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday. Tarry has strong entries in most of the ten races including the World Pool Gold Cup that has been down-graded over the years to Grade 3 but is still the country’s most prestigious race for stayers.
Tarry saddles the country’s top stayer Future Pearl who won this race with ease last year. Tarry has a knack of priming his runners for the big day and now that the gelding steps out over his optimum trip he could prove difficult to peg back. The trainer has a second string to his bow in the veteran stayer and also a previous winner Nebraas. The seven-year-old has been improving with every run since being fitted with blinkers. He has dropped in the handicap and now looks to be off a competitive mark. Shoot The Rapids was closing in quickly on stable companion Madison Valley in the Gr3 Gold Vase over 3000m. The extra furlong and the weight turnover should see him turn the tables on his stable companion. Master Redoute found plenty of trouble in the July and did well to finish five lengths off the winner. He won the Western Cape Stayers over 2800m so this trip should suit. Snaith will be looking to Future Swing and One Way Traffic to claim the first prize of R625 000 and extend his lead in the trainer’s championship. Future Swing had a terrible passage in the Hollywoodbets Durban July. He has won over 2500m and if he stays the 3200m he must come into the picture.
In the supporting feature, Michael Roberts will be hoping that See It Again can go one better in the Gr1 HKJC Champions Cup after finishing second to star filly Princess Calla last year. He could well have finished third in this year’s ‘July’ but for interference in the closing stages and some scrimmaging at the 1400m mark. He has a tricky draw to contend with but being the best weighted runner in this WFA contest he could finally get just reward. Muzi Yeni has opted to partner July third Royal Victory ahead of Gr1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge winner Dave The King with Richard Fourie taking over in the saddle for Mike de Kock. Both will be at home over this trip with Dave The King the likely pacemaker. Flag Man finished a creditable fourth in the July but he was ridden handy as opposed to his normal style of racing. He is sure to be dropped out this time around and given a half decent pace he should be running hard at the leaders. Cousin Casey is something of a Greyville specialist and has finished runner-up in his last three races on this course. He was run out of it late in the July and he is well suited to this trip.
One of the better bets on the day should be Quid Pro Quo in the Gr1 Duglas Whyte Stakes. She has a wide draw to contend with as she attempts to make this her fifth win in a row, however, she came from a seemingly hopeless position to win the Gr2 Golden Slipper displaying a tremendous turn of foot. She will undoubtably be ridden in similar fashion so the draw should not be too much of a concern. Fatal Flaw was ignored in the betting for the Golden Slipper but finished a creditable second from a wide draw. The wily Piere Strydom stays with the ride and she is proven over the trip. Drawn one outside of Quid Pro Quo is the unbeaten Lock And Key who landed the odds on the poly at her second start. She gets Keagan de Melo aboard but regular pilot Richard Fourie has opted to take his chances on stable companion Whistle The Tune who was a well-beaten third behind Quid Pro Quo last time out. She has the better draw and can finish a little closer.
Tarry holds another strong hand in the World Pool Moment Of the Day Champion Stakes. He saddles G2 Golden Horseshoe winner Cosmic Speed and Legend Of Arthur a winner of two of his four starts. Richard Fourie will not doubt have been given the choice of rides and he has plumed for Legend Of Arthur in spite of a wide draw and his stable companion seemingly has the better feature race credentials. He was a beaten odds-on favourite when third behind Mount Pinatubo but that run was a slightly below par effort after having beaten Mount Pinatubo by over five lengths at their previous meeting. Grant van Niekerk is back aboard Cosmic Speed after finishing second to Proceed in the Gold Medallion. Cosmic Speed enjoyed the extra furlong last time out beating Proceed comfortably. Snaith saddles Great Plains who ran no sort of race in the Golden Horseshoe and that effort is best ignored. Prior to that he came from the clouds to win comfortably. The extra furlong will suit and Keagan de Melo, fresh from his first stint in Hong Kong, will no doubt get the best out of him.
Lucky Lad can cement himself as the country’s top sprinter if he can overcome a wide draw in the Gr1 Mercury Sprint. He was pushed all the way to the line in a recent Pinnacle Stakes event but was giving the runner-up 6kg. He clearly did not stay the mile in the Gr1 Gold Challenge but his defining race could be the Gr1 Golden Horse Sprint. He was in all sorts of trouble with a furlong to run as the gaps snapped closed forcing Richard Fourie to take drastic action and the horse good enough to win. A narrow second in the Golden Horse was At My Command who ran another cracker when second in the Gr2 Post Merchants last time out. Drawn wide and giving the winner 6kg he beat home a useful field on handicap terms. He has a much better draw this time around. Stable companion I Am Giant was not so lucky from his wide draw in the Post Merchants but was only four lengths back to the winner. In two previous starts he had run Lucky Lad to within a length and he too has a much more favourable gate. The filly Golden Sickle didn’t feature in the Merchants but prior to that had run star sprinter Thunderstuck to a neck in the Gr1 Computaform Sprint. This course should suit from her pole position draw.
