Tarry on track to win Trainer’s Championship
SEAN Tarry is in a good position to win the National Trainer’s Championship after his fantastic results in the big meeting at Johannesburg on Saturday, in which his charges Siren’s Call, Trophy Wife and Tamaneee finished first, second and fourth in the Gr2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Guineas and his charges French Navy and Halve The Deficit finished respective seconds in the Gr2 Betting World Gauteng Guineas and the Gr2 Hawaii Stakes.
He is currently just over R2,3 million ahead of his good friend and rival and many-times champion trainer Mike de Kock, but was still philosophical about his chances.
Big money
“The Championships only really starts now as all the big money meetings like the ones in Joburg at the end of March and April, the Scottsville Sprint meeting in May and the other big KZN meetings are yet to be run.
“Mike has horses like Majmu, Ertijaal and Alboran Sea so it’s going to be tight.
“It would be nice to win the title, but it’s not something you can chase.
“You have to handle each horse’s career properly and just hope they do well.
“If you chased the title you would just burn your string and have nothing left for next season.”
Tarry’s brilliant results in the lucrative Sales races have contributed a lot to his earnings this season.
He won the R2 million Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes over 1 400m with Zambezi River, finished second with the same horse in the R1 million Cape Thoroughbred Sales Stakes and then finished first and second in the R2,5 million Cape Thoroughbred Sales Book 2 Graduates Race with Siren's Call and Trophy Wife.
Siren’s Call and Trophy Wife both produced strong finishes on Saturday in the Gauteng Fillies Guineas and fourth-placed Tamanee was also doing her best work late.
Bichette
Tarry said they had all come out of the race well and he wasn’t writing off unplaced Bichette either.
He said: “The race probably came a bit soon for Bichette, but she’s a lovely filly. We will soon begin preparing these horses for the big meeting at the end of March.”
Siren’s Call et al will face the mighty Majmu in the Gr1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic over 1 800m in that meeting.
Tarry wasnt writing off Siren’’s Calls chances and said’: I think she can give Majmu a go. She was comprehensively beaten by Majmu over 1 400m, but will be a lot better over 1 800m, although Majmu maybe will too. Majmu smashed them in the Cape Fillies Guineas and the runner up Inara then came out and won two Gr1s, so Majmu is definitely the best of the crop at present.”
Tarry was “excited” about French Navy’s run in the Gauteng Guineas, in which he finished very strongly for second.
The Triple Crown has always been on his agenda, so he will get better as he goes further and Tarry is looking forward to the Gr1 Betting World SA Classic.
That race will be a humdinger with the like of Investec Cape Derby winner Ertijaal entering the fray and Gauteng Guineas winner Harry’s Son also due to travel for the race.
Tarry was pleased with the run of Halve The Deficit in the Hawaii Stakes.
He was handy throughout and only just failed to catch the frontrunner Chekilli.
However, Tarry was surprised by the seven point raise to a 111 merit rating Halve The Deficit was awarded by the handicapper for the run and said, "Wow, if he's a 111 over 1 400m, what is he over his right trip, 120?”
He was also happy with Whiteline Fever’s run in the Hawaii and said: “He was caught wide and his hanging in the straight was nothing serious. I thought it was a lovely preparation for the Horse Chestnut Stakes.”
Halve The Deficit will be one of Tarry’s Vodacom Durban July hopefuls this year.
He won the race in both 2012 and 2013 and the winner of the latter, Heavy Metal, is back in South Africa after an successful stint overseas and will be making his comeback on Saturday in a Pinnacle Stakes event over 1 160m.
Heavy Metal will also be a July possible and Tarry added: “They will battle to leave out Gold Onyx this year, there is also Cagiva, who has come back well from injury, and French Navy and Siren's Call are also possibilities.”
Willow Magic
Meanwhile among his speedsters the brilliant former Gr1 SA Nursery and Dingaans winner Willow Magic came out of his last run, when a flying third with topweight in the Gr3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap over 1 000m, well and will now be aimed at the Gr2 Senor Santa Handicap over 1 200m on April 4 and the Gr1 Computaform Sprint over 1 000m on April 25.
Tarry is “still getting used” to his satellite yard at Summerveld, so is not sure how he is going to approach the Champions Season this year and mentioned the possibility of raiding with some of his horses.