Tarry v De Kock at the Vaal
NOT EASY: MUCH TO CONSIDER, BUT ISLE DE FRANCE GETS THE NOD
Kennedy and Putins Promise worth a look.
Race 7 at the Vaal Tomorrow looks another instance of Mike de Kock versus Sean Tarry very much as a pair of runners from their stables are weighted to fight out the finish of this Graduation Plate over 1400m up the straight.
Tarry saddles best-weighted runner, Rock The Globe, while De Kock sends out the filly Isle De France who is 1.5kg behind him based on merit ratings.
Although both are only onetime winners, Rock The Globe has run against the stronger opposition. He has contested a number of feature races, including the Grade 1 Premiers Champion Stakes at Greyville as a two-year-old and the Cape Guineas, in which he faded out to finish at the back of the field.
However, he did qualify for the R2.5-million Ready To Run Stakes over 1400m at Kenilworth, and despite a wide draw, still managed to finish a 1.55-length fourth behind stable companion Pure Bliss. That gave him a very decent R150,000 payday.
He has not raced since the Cape Guineas last December so comes back from a 68-day layoff.
Isle De France scored a runaway victory over 1450m on the Turffontein Inside track on her debut in October 2018 and could not have been more impressive, racing clear of the opposition to beat Vi Va Pi Pa by 4.10 lengths. She was well supported to follow up in the Grade 3 Starling Stakes over 1400 mon the Turffontein Stand side track but made a respiratory noise and ran sixth, beaten 6.90 lengths by Ronnie’s Candy
She then ran in the Grade 3 Fillies Mile and this time finished one from back, 19.80 lengths off Ghaalla, again found to be making a respiratory noise.
That put her out of action for a year and she returned in a Graduation Plate to run nine lengths behind Ikigai. Considering Ikigai went on to win the Gauteng Guineas, it was a pretty decent comeback.
She continued to improve in her next two runs, finishing a three-length third behind Topmast in her penultimate start and then a decent 0.70-length second behind Rio’s Winter in a Graduation Plate for fillies and mares last time.
It is not easy to pick between the pair for this Graduation Plate but purely on the basis that Isle De France could be the fitter of the pair, she gets the nod. Cheekpieces have been added for this start, and Callan Murray gets the ride.
Rock The Globe has apprentice Luke Ferraris in the irons.
The next best handicapped runner is For a few dollars more, also from the Tarry yard, but he has his first outing in 467 days and is likely to need the run.
Fourth-rated is Putins Promise, who will be 13kg under sufferance with Rock The Globe but he has only raced three times and could be a lot better that his merit rating.
Owner/trainer St John Gray has engaged Warren Kennedy who is well out in front in the race for this season’s champion jockey title so that has to be in the horse’s favour.
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