Calm and steady Tarry’s powerful stable can score at Turffontein

TWO gentlemen who could be celebrating come Monday morning — trainer Sean Tarry and football manager Claudio Ranieri — have something in common. They have both proved they can handle pressure.

Under constant scrutiny by the media, both handle interviews with amazing calmness considering their actions are always under the spotlight.

Italian Ranieri will have led Leicester City to an unlikely Premier League title — they were quoted at 5,000-1 at the start of the season — if they beat Manchester United on Sunday.

Tarry takes the cream of his powerful stable to Turffontein tomorrow and will no doubt be disappointed if Legal Eagle (Premier’s Champions Challenge), Carry On Alice (World Sports Betting Computaform Sprint) and Cloth Of Cloud (SA Nursery) do not win their respective grade 1 races.

With the exception of Carry On Alice, Tarry’s big-race contenders are quoted as odds-on favourites in their respective events.

Tarry admitted to being surprised when Smart Call waltzed past Legal Eagle in the J&B Met, but the four-yearold got back in the winning groove on his return to the Highveld.

If he runs better than in the Horse Chestnut Stakes, Captain America might be competitive tomorrow, although the likelihood is he will have to settle for the runner-up berth.

Anyone who saw Cloth Of Cloud’s debut win at Kenilworth will understand why Tarry has elected to take on the males in the SA Nursery. If she fails, the stable has strong back-up in Rightful King. Of Tarry’s grade 1 runners, perhaps Carry On Alice is the weak link as she would prefer 200m further. Both Trip Tease and Barbosa will have their supporters and Muis Roberts gives his raider Muscatt an each-way chance.

Fans of SA Derby favourite Abashiri are in the same mood as Leicester City supporters — they are already celebrating. Although sport throws up surprises, Mike Azzie’s star surely has only to be as well as on SA Classic day to make it a red-letter day for owners Adriaan and Rika van Vuuren.

The De Kock stable always has to be feared on big days and Jubilee Line might offer some resistance.