Legal Eagle to remain at home as Tarry cancels sojourn in US
Great news for fans of Legal Eagle, the horse-of-the-year — trainer Sean Tarry confirmed on Monday that his star performer would be staying in SA after a planned trip to the US was called off.
“Legal will be staying in this country — he’s travelled back nicely from the Cape and his objective will be the Champions Challenge during the Gauteng season,” he said. Asked whether he thought the son of Greys Inn would run in this year’s Vodacom Durban July, Tarry replied: “We’ll have discussions with Derek [Brugman, Markus Jooste’s racing manager] and decide some time later, but my thinking is a return trip to the Cape to contest the big races there once again.”
For the second year running, Legal Eagle had to settle for the runner-up berth in the Met which was sponsored for the first time by Sun International.
Marinaresco was another name mentioned as likely to be on the plane to the US, but he is also unlikely to make the trip following his failure to run a place in the Met.
Although Tarry has a comfortable lead in the trainers championship, his runners might battle at Tuesday night’s meeting at Turffontein where trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren has prospects of landing a double with Green Pepper (third race) and New Predator in the fifth. Van Vuuren’s three-yearold filly, Green Pepper, is enjoying an outstanding season and will be at cramped odds to beat home five rivals in Tuesday’s 1,000m sprint.
However, one of those opponents is Joan Ranger, who represents the stable of Lucky Houdalakis. The booking of Piere Strydom should enhance the filly’s prospects.
Aussie-bred New Predator returns to action in the fifth race after a two-month break. Van Vuuren will fancy turning the tables on the likely favourite, Kangaroo Jack, on the revised weight terms.
Nevertheless, Kangaroo Jack — now a seven-time winner — is sure to go well once again in the hands of his regular pilot, Andrew Fortune.
Fortune rode a double at the city track on Saturday and could repeat the feat on Tuesday as his eighth race mount Turn Back Time should go close for trainer Joey Soma. The chief threat to Turn Back Time should be the four-year-old filly Bondiblu as this inmate of Stanley Ferreira’s stable stays well and is rarely out of the money.
Strydom also has a fancied mount in the sixth race in which he partners Dolphin for trainer Robbie Sage. This four-year-old boasts a win and a second in his last three outings and could notch another win at the expense of recent winner Ronnie Rocket.
Others with each-way claims in this competitive handicap include Isphan, Magic and Fortune’s mount, Fidelio.
The latter won his penultimate start but disappointed on his next outing.
Tarry saddles a newcomer in the Querari colt Play The Night in the opening event at Turffontein in which Roy Magner’s youngster Alex The Great is sure to be popular with punters following an excellent debut run.