Chimichuri Run on his way to the top

SEAN Tarry’s three-year-old colt Chimichuri Run, who has twice fetched over a million at public auctions, waltzed home in the Grade 3 Spring Spree Stakes over 1200m at Turffontein on Saturday but only time will tell whether he is the classic horse that his pedigree suggests he is as he possesses plenty of speed. Tarry's three-year-old strength in fact lies among the fillies this season and he will be able to afford the luxury of splitting them up and targeting all the big fillies classics around the country. The yard is in fine fettle and the only bad news is that one of his GBets Summer Cup hopefuls, Lord Silverio, was injured in training on Saturday and will have to miss the latter race, although Tarry is as usual not dwelling on the setback and is already eyeing the Vodacom Durban July for this classy grey. On Saturday Chimichuri Run jumped from draw three in the twelve horse field and did not get the best of breaks. However, this enabled S'Manga Khumalo to find the rail in behind horses. The even money shot did show signs of over racing in stages, which is why the jury is out on whether he will stay the classic trips. When they reached the false rail with about 500m to go he still had about six lengths to make up, but quickened nicely down the inside. He had hit the front by the 200m mark and won hands and heels by 4,25 lengths. It was not a vintage renewal of this race but it takes a top class colt to win a Graded handicap against older horses at this stage of the season, especially one who is merit rated 108. Tarry selected the colt at the 2017 CTS Premier Yearling Sale as he was "an excellent mover and well made." The Drakenstein stud-bred colt is by Trippi out of the Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic winner Spiced Gold (Kahal) and the connections had to go to R1,1 million to secure him.He was a comfortable winner of his second start over 1000m and then finished third in both the Grade 1 SA Nursery and Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion. However, he then appeared on the draft of the Super Sale at Greyville on June 25 and one of the reasons was to dissolve a partnership. Tarry had to go to R1,6 million to keep him for one of the original part-owners Chris van Niekerk. However, he divulged, "We were not too happy to go to that amount as he had a slight breathing issue. Fortunately this issue has improved since." The decision to buy him back paid immediate dividends as he was a 4,75 length winner of the Grade 3 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m on the Greyville turf on eLan Gold Cup day. Tarry is now eyeing the Grade 2 Joburg Spring Challenge over 1 450m on October 6 for Chimichuri Run and that race will tell the connections a bit about how far he will stay. Spiced Gold's first foal was Bombs Away who won on debut over 1000m but didn't win again and he was well beaten in all three of his attempts at distances beyond 1200m. Tarry's good three-year-old fillies include Return Flight (Pomodoro), Celtic Sea (Captain Al), In The Dance (Gimmethegreenlight), Second Request (Twice Over), Sweet Mary Lou (Await The Dawn), Saints Alive (Elusive Fort) and Crimson Royale (Ashaawes). The best performed of these fillies to date have been Return Flight, who won the Grade 1 Thekwini among other races and was made the Equus Champion Filly, and Celtic Sea, who finished second in the Grade 1 Allan Robertson and won both the Grade 3 Pretty Polly Stakes and the Grade 2 Golden Slipper. Return Flight's first big target will be the Grade 3 Fillies Mile on Summer Cup day. Tarry is keeping her in Johanesburg because she will be suited to the galloping Turffontein Standside track and he believes she will mature into a Triple Tiara type. Celtic Sea, on the other hand, has plenty of natural speed and he will be aiming her at the Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas.Meanwhile, Lord Silverio is unfortunately on the sidelines. He was beaten in his last start when going for hattrick and it was in a handicap off just an 86 merit rating, so on paper that does not augur well for his July chances. However, the four-year-old grey colt is typical of Silvano's progeny in that he gets better and better with age and Tarry also confirmed that last race, in which an objection placed on his behalf was overruled, just did not pan out well for him. Tarry relinquished his SA Trainers Championship crown, which he had held for the previous three seasons, to Justin Snaith last term but he has started this season well with 15 winners at a strike rate of 17,05% and looks to have the firepower to usurp the title.