Carry On Alice unlucky again!

ONE of the unluckiest horses in Equus Awards history has been the Sean Tarrytrained Carry On Alice and there is a chance she might be denied for the fourth time in succession.

Carry On Alice won one Gr1 in each of her first three seasons.

In her fourth and final term just passed, she boosted her Equus Champion Sprinter and Equus Champion Older Female award chances by winning two Gr1s in a season for the first time.

Bull Valley

Her stable companion Bull Valley joined her on two Gr1 sprint victories when landing the Mercury Sprint.

A strong Champion Sprinter case can also be made for the Mike de Kocktrained Rafeef. The panellists will have had a hard time separating this trio.

Carry On Alice won the Gr1 weight for age Betting World Cape Flying Championship over 1 000m and the Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint, a level weights championship race for females over 1 200m.

Tsogo Sun

Bull Valley’s weight for age Mercury Sprint 1 200m win followed his victory in the Tsogo Sun Sprint, a handicap over 1 200m in which he carried third top weight of 58kg and won comfortably by 1,5 lengths.

Rafeef was unbeaten in four races from 1 000m1 400m during the season.

In his only ever attempt at the minimum trip of 1 000m he won the Gr1 weight for age Computaform Sprint impressively by a cosy 1,3 lengths.

Significantly, he beat third-placed Carry On Alice by 1,6 lengths in the latter race.

Earlier, Rafeef won the Gr2 Hawaii Stakes over 1 400m.

Carry On Alice’s other sprint races during the season saw her finishing second in two Gr2s and winning a Pinnacle Stakes event.

Bull Valley also won a Listed sprint over 1 000m, which puts him on top in terms of stakes sprint wins for the season.

In his other sprints he finished second and fourth in two Gr2 sprints respectively.

Carry On Alice

The Older Female category will have been a boat race between Carry On Alice and Bela-Bela.

Bela-Bela also won two Grade 1s during the season.

However, significantly, both were against the girls, whereas Carry On Alice beat the boys in a weight for age Gr1.

On the other hand BelaBela’s 3,75 length demolition of a top class field in the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1 600m was undoubtedly the most impressive performance by a filly during the season.

Bela-Bela

Bela-Bela also had a weight for age Gr1 third against the boys to her name and ended her career by finishing fourth in the Gr1 Champions Cup over 1 800m against the boys.

The Older Female award will thus have been as difficult for the panellists as the Sprinter award.

It will be tough for Carry On Alice’s connections to endure yet another Equus Awards disappointment.

Maybe the panellists will have been swayed by her overall career record coupled with her Equus Awards empty handedness.

If not, it will be no surprise to see her given a special Equus award.