Bask in the sun at the Vaal
TALENTED: TROPICAL SUN SCORED A FACILE LAST WIN AND CAN FOLLOW UP TOMORROW
Greens looks the main threat to Tarry’s charge.
Tropic Sun takes a jump up in class, but the manner of her last win indicates she will be hard to oppose in Race 7 at the Vaal tomorrow, a Graduation Plate for fillies and mares over 1200m.
The four-year-old daughter of Skit Skizzle has been lightly raced by trainer Sean Tarry but when she does make an appearance on the turf, she leaves litt le doubt as to the level of her ability.
Her last run was also in a Graduation Plate over this course and distance and although there were some very average runners in that race who did lower the average merit rating somewhat, Tropic Sun did annihilate a decent enough field that included some colts.
She hopped to the front early on and nobody managed to get a blow in as Tropic Sun eased away from her opposition to beat Virtuosa by 6.25 lengths.
She only received a 2.5kg penalty for that win but that is of little consequence in a plate race because as a two-time winner she had been allocated joint top weight of 60kg.
Lyle Hewitson rode her last time and he is back in the irons once again.
Tropic Sun is not the best handicapped runner. In fact, that role belongs – quite appreciably – to Stephen Moffatt-trained Rio's Winter. She is at least 5.5kg better weighted than any of her opposition and is 6.5 kg better off with Tropic Sun.
The problem, however, is that 8.5kg of her merit rating is based on a 0.25-length second behind Summer Pudding in the Grade 2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas over 1600m last February. She went on to finish fourth behind the same filly in the Grade 1 SA Classic over 1800m.
There is litt le to enthuse about her last two races in which she finished 11.50 lengths behind Celtic Sea in a Pinnacle Stakes over this course and distance in June and then made a comeback in the Grade 2 Ipi Tombe Challenge over 1600m at Turffontein last month where she finishing eighth in the nine-horse field, beaten 7.25 lengths behind War Of Athena.
This race is likely to be too short and Rio's Winter will need to improve to justify her rating in this line-up.
Greens looks the main threat. She ran a one-length fourth behind Sweet Sensation in the Sophomore 1000 (Non-Black Type) over 1000m at this course last time and there was a lot to like about the way she ran on.
Paul Peter's charge sett led well and went on to produce the fastest 400m to finish, so perhaps Greens is now looking for a little further these days.