One of the unluckiest horses in Equus Awards history has been the Sean Tarry-trained Carry On Alice and there is a chance she might be denied for the fourth time in succession.
Carry On Alice won one Grade 1 in each of her first three seasons. However, in her fourth and final term just passed, she boosted both her Equus Champion Sprinter and Equus Champion Older Female award chances by winning two Grade 1s in a season for the first time.
Carry On Alice (Nkosi Hlophe)
However, her stable companion Bull Valley then joined her on two Grade 1 sprint victories when landing the Mercury Sprint.
A strong Champion Sprinter case can also be made for the Mike de Kock-trained Rafeef.
The panellists will have had a hard time separating this trio.
Carry On Alice won the Grade 1 weight for age Betting World Cape Flying Championship over 1000m and the Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint, a level weights championship race for females over 1200m.
Bull Valley’s weight for age Mercury Sprint 1200m win followed his victory in the Tsogo Sun Sprint, a handicap over 1200m in which he carried third top weight of 58kg and won comfortably by 1,5 lengths.
However, Rafeef was unbeaten in four races from 1000-1400m during the season. In his only ever attempt at the minimum trip of 1000m he won the Grade 1 weight for age Computaform Sprint impressively by a cosy 1,3 lengths. Significantly, he beat third-placed Carry On Alice by 1,6 lengths in the latter race. Earlier, Rafeef won the Gr 2 Hawaii Stakes over 1400m.
Carry On Alice’s other sprint races during the season saw her finishing second in two Grade 2s and winning a Pinnacle Stakes event.
Bull Valley (Nkosi Hlophe)
However, Bull Valley also won a Listed sprint over 1000m, which puts him on top in terms of stakes sprint wins for the season. In his other sprints he finished second and fourth in two Grade 2 sprints respectively.
The Older Female category will have been a boat race between Carry On Alice and Bela-Bela.
Bela-Bela also won two Grade 1s during the season. However, significantly, both were against the girls, whereas Carry On Alice beat the boys in a weight for age Grade 1. On the other hand Bela-Bela’s 3,75 length demolition of a top class field in the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m was undoubtedly the most impressive performance by a filly during the season. Bela-Bela also had a weight for age Grade 1 third against the boys to her name and ended her career by finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Champions Cup over 1800m against the boys.
The Older Female award will thus have been as difficult for the panellists as the Sprinter award.
It will be tough for Carry On Alice’s connections to endure yet another Equus Awards disappointment.
Maybe the panellists will have been swayed by her overall career record coupled with her Equus Awards emptyhandedness. If not, it will be no surprise to see her given a special Equus award.
By David Thiselton
