Nebraas to show who’s king
IMPRESSIVE: TARRY’S CHARGE HAS BEEN UNSTOPPABLE IN STAYING FEATURE RACES Shangani could be the pretender to the throne.
The 2021/22 season comes to an end this weekend and many Equus Awards could be decided at Hollywoodbets Greyville tomorrow with a full card of 10 feature races.
To celebrate the end of the season the meeting will contain a Pick 6 carryover of R2 million with the pool likely to reach R12 million.
One of those Equus Awards could be decided in the Grade 3 Marshalls World Of Sport Gold Cup over 3200m. While the meeting has been “demoted” over the years from a Grade 1, this race is still considered the premier stayers race in the country.
Over the past two years one horse has dominated the long-distance races and that has been Nebraas who will be seeking a Gold Cup double tomorrow.
Victory in this race will cement his reputation as the best performer over distance in the land and ensure he is named Champion Stayer for the second successive year.
Sean Tarry’s charge has lost none of his zip in the last 365 days with victory in three successive races over ground at Turffontein.
He was denied an opportunity to run in the Hollywoodbets Durban July when made the second reserve runner, despite having a higher merit rating than some of the horses permitted to run, so he stayed in Joburg and had his warm-up run in a Pinnacle Stakes over 2400m at Turffontein.
He found one too good that day in Shangani, going down by one length.
Paul Peter has said his charge was still not 100% ready and that he had left some meat on the bone to get Shangani fully wound up for the Gold Cup.
So, did we just see a below-par run from Nebraas or did we witness the changing of the guard?
It would be unwise to write off Nebraas on that performance as he will be better over 3200m and he is 1kg better off.
Richard Fourie rode him to victory in all three of his wins this season and he will be back on
board for the Gold Cup.
Nevertheless, Peter is quite bullish about the chances of
Shangani. “He’s a very nice stayer and is a half-brother to Chitengo who was a top stayer.
“This race has always been his mission and his work is excellent. He’s a highly versatile runner in that he can run at them from off the pace or he can go to the front, so I’m not worried about the pace.”
Shangani has won six of his 11 starts and Warren Kennedy has ridden him in all of them, so he knows the son of Soft Falling Rain well.
Another interesting runner is three-year-old Aragosta, who won the Grade 1 SA Derby. He has developed the habit of hanging badly in the straight at Greyville and had to be eased in his Durban July run, but he should enjoy the extra distance and trainer Mike de Kock certainly knows how to win a Gold Cup.
Tarry also saddles four-yearold Black Thorn who won this year’s Gold Vase over 3000m on Durban July day. He has had some great tussles with stablemate Nebraas but has yet to beat him.
Black Thorn is improving but at the weights has lots to do to turn those defeats around. Keagan de Melo rides.