SECOND DECLARATIONS
29 MAY 2017

Declarations: 36

9 Horses scratched at 2^nd declarations

Secret Captain

Copper Pot

Fort Meyers

Bold Viking

Bi Pot

Deo Juvente

Rocketball

Prince Of Wales

Jubilee Line

PLEASE NOTE:

• Final Supp. Entries: Close 11:00 Monday, 12 June 2017
• Weights Published: Tuesday, 13 June 2017
• Final Declaration: Close 11:00 Monday, 19 June 2017
• Final Field and Draw: Announcement of the Final Field and Barrier Draws will take place on Tuesday, 20 June 2017
• Public Gallops:  7am at Greyville Racecourse, Thursday, 22 June 2017

The swansong victory of Carry On Alice in the Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint at Scottsville on Saturday was accompanied by rare emotion from her normally phlegmatic trainer Sean Tarry and the win was significant for more than one reason.

The five-year-old Captain Al mare was a member of what is regarded as probably the greatest crop of fillies in South African history. She was the first among them to win a Grade 1 and currently is the last, although one of her best contemporaries, Smart Call, is still campaigning overseas.  On Saturday she joined another of her contemporaries, Inara, as a five-time Grade 1 winner.

Sean Tarry (Nkosi Hlophe)

Carry On Alice won one Grade 1 in each of her first three seasons and in her final season has won two. Although all five of those wins were in sprint events, she showed her class as a two-year-old when going down by a short-head in the Gr 1 Thekwini over 1600m, despite jumping from a wide draw at Greyville.

She and four of her contemporaries won seven Grade 1 races between them in open company as three-year-olds. Inara and Alboran Sea achieved the feat twice, and Carry On Alice, Majmu and Same Jurisdiction each did it once, Furthermore, both of Alboran Seas Gr 1 victories that season were in weight for age sprints against the boys. Carry On Alice had also beaten the boys in the SA Nursery as a two-year-old and failed by only 0,25 lengths to repeat the feat in the Gold Medallion. The crop have gone on to win another nine Grade 1s between them. That makes a total of 24 Grade 1 wins for the crop to date, as they also contested eight age restricted Grade 1s. Those 24 Grade 1s have been won by nine individuals, namely Carry On Alice (five), Inara (five), Alboran Sea (three), Smart Call (three), Same Jurisdiction (two), Majmu (two), Bilateral (one), Siren’s Call (one), Pine Princess (one) and Real Princess (one).

Amazingly, Carry On Alice is yet to win an Equus award having been ousted by three exceptional members of her crop, Majmu, Alboran Sea and Smart Call, in respective champion age group awards, and by Captain Of All and Talktothestars, both merit rated above 120, in respective Champion Sprinter awards. However, this year she looks likely to walk away with two Equus awards as Champion Sprinter and Champion Older Female.

Carry On Alice has a fairytale story behind her and two of her owners, UK couple Dr John and Jill Warner, have become staunch fans of South African racing as a result.

It was only through the tender care of the Klawervlei Stud staff that Carry On Alice was ever conceived at all.

Klawervlei part-owner John Koster, speaking of her mother Carry On Katie a couple of years ago, said, “She used to throw these monster foals and maybe her canals were just too narrow. When she gave birth to her first foal she injured her pelvis and couldn’t get back up for a day or two. We nursed her back to health and the following year she conceived Carry On Alice.”

Carry On Alice was successfully born, but the following year Carry On Katie had complications when foaling down. Unfortunately, despite around the clock care, both her and her foal did not survive the ordeal on this occasion.

However, as consolation, Carry On Alice will be able to continue her legacy.

Carry On Alice (Nkosi Hlophe)

The Warners were two of forty people who had booked for a racing tour of South Africa in early 2013, which had included in its itinerary a trip to Klawervlei Stud. When the Met was moved to a later date that season, the Warners were two of only four people who did not cancel their tour tickets. On the trip to Klawervlei, Jill Warner asked Koster about a filly which had caught her eye in the catalogue for the pending CTS Premier Yearling Sale. The filly was of course Carry On Alice. The Warners became part-owners of the filly a few days later along with Tarry’s chief owner Chris van Niekerk. Klawervlei Stud also kept a share. The Warners could never have dreamed Carry On Alice would give them such a wonderful ride and she has also made them a myriad new friends.

On Saturday Carry On Alice proved she is better without cover as this allows her to use her high cruising speed to maximum effect. She crept up to join the leader before Khumalo pressed the button at the 400m mark. That famous kick propelled her to the front and her big heart enabled her to stave off the challenges of Grade 1 winners Just Sensual and The Secret Is Out to win by a length. She also won this race two years ago as a three-year-old. Her other Grade 1 wins were all against the boys, in the Gr 1 SA Nursery (2014), the weight for age (wfa) Gr 1 Computaform Sprint (2016) and the wfa Betting World Cape Flying Championships (2017).

She can arguably be regarded as the greatest sprinting female South Africa has produced his decade as her Grade 1 count is higher than the like of Val De Ra and Via Africa. However, National Colour will still have pride of place as the best Tarry has ever trained. One can only hope Carry On Alice will be as good a broodmare as National Colour, who already has two Gr 1-winning progeny, and she will be given every opportunity to be so as she will be heading overseas to be covered by the best stallions.

Carry On Alice will be sorely missed by the racing public, who could always rely on her to give of her best. He career record ends at eleven wins, eight seconds and five thirds from 29 starts and she only failed to earn a cheque on three occasion and all of those were in races beyond sprints. She earned R4 591 250 in stakes.

By David Thiselton

Jockey Gunther Wrogemann might well have been singing “Brave Mary keep on rolling” when the Brave Tin Soldier filly burst away from the opposition to win the R750 000, Grade 1 Allan Robertson Championship at Scottsville on Saturday.

Carrying the action name given to the American Indian activist Mary Brave Bird in the 70’s, and costing a mere R40 000, Brave Mary stunned the large crowd at Scottsville and, even more so, the fancied runners Call To Account, Green Plains and Neptune’s Rain when she tore away to post a time of 68.3 secs, a fraction faster than the smart Dennis Drier-trained Twice Over colt Sand And Sea, that impressively won the Tsogo Sun Medallion.

Brave Mary (Nkosi Hlophe)

Trainer Paul Matchett did not appear that surprised in the interview after Brave Mary, a daughter of the Rich Man’s Gold mare Mary Lou that he had trained to win six races, skated clear of the field. A former Zimbabwean top trainer and for years very competitive on the Highveld, Paul obviously had a good idea of what he had in his care to travel from Gauteng to Scottsville for just one runner on the day.

That confidence will have come from the filly’s last race over 1 000m at the Vaal where she bolted away from the maiden field to win by 6.5 lengths in the cracking time for a juvenile of 56.79 secs. Saturday’s performance will have strengthened his belief in her talent and she looks a very exciting prospect for the future.

Following up in the R750 000, Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Medallion, Sand And Sea was awesomely impressive in pulverising a field that included some very exciting young colts and geldings to give Dennis Drier his seventh victory in the prestigious race and his sixth in eight years. Strongly fancied to beat the Mike de Kock-trained favourite Naafer, his supporter’s hearts will have dropped when he virtually walked out of the pens at the start and trailed the field in the early stages.

But when Anton Marcus said giddy up boy the colt quickened and before long it was race over as he skipped clear to win by 2.25 lengths relieving what was no doubt a few seconds of tension for his conditioner.

Then it was time for the queen of sprint in South Africa, Carry On Alice, to take the stage for her grand finale on the track before going off to stud and she treated the public to another scintillating performance to win the R750 000, Grade 1 South African Fillies Sprint for trainer Sean Tarry who, together with owner Chris van Niekerk, shed a little tear at memories of what she had achieved and sorrow that she is being retired.

For Tarry, however, the smiles soon returned when the Toreador gelding Bull Valley, that he had taken over from retired trainer Dom Zaki a year ago, demolished a strong sprinting field to win the top race of the day, the R1-million, Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint, giving Tarry a Grade 1 double for the day and pushing his stake earnings in the season to a record high which cemented his place at the top of the trainer log.

A day of mixed results and fortunes with Brave Mary demolishing the opposition and, as a 27-1 winner, the Pick 6 hopes of thousands leaving an eventual payout of R970 000 and some change.

By Richard McMillan

Dennis Drier will attempt to win the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion for the sixth time in eight years at Scottsville on Saturday, and for the seventh time overall, and he has a good chance of doing so with Sand And Sea.

The rangy Twice Over colt ran on strongly to win his debut over course and distance in a Juvenile Plate where he was receiving 3kg from the previous winners.

Drier said, “He is a nice colt and has done nothing wrong. He was green and has come on from the run. I don’t know how good the others are but we are expecting a big run.”

Sand And Sea (Nkosi Hlophe)

Anton Marcus retains the ride and they jump from draw eleven.

The yard’s gallant seven-year-old Captain Al gelding Barbosa will be having his fifth attempt at the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint. He is part-owned by spelling farm owners Rodney and Jane Trotter. Jane spoke on his behalf and said, “He is coming to the end of his career and I don’t really know what to expect but we are hoping for a nice, honest run.” She added his last run had come a bit soon after the previous run, which he had needed, and that might explain those two below par performances. She concluded, “He is a bit of a funny horse, he doesn’t like to have other horses around him in the running, so I think his outside draw will favour him.”

Barbosa loves the Scottsville straight and has dropped back to a 104 merit rating, the same rating he ran off in his only Stakes win in the Listed Umgeni Handicap over 1000m on the Greyville poly in 2015.

However, his best finish in the Tsogo Sprint has been a 3,65 length sixth to his brilliant stablemate Captain Of All two years ago and ran off this same 104 merit rating on that occasion.

He is drawn eleven of 16 and Alec Forbes is up.

Drier did not sound bullish about Sail, who runs in the SA Fillies Sprint, and said, “We are just trying her over the trip and we will see how she goes.”

By David Thiselton

Ashburton trainer Paul Gadsby has two runners in the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint, Vision To Kill and Miss Varlicious, and said both were very well but admitted Carry On Alice would be “a hard nut to crack”.

However, Gadsby was concerned the three-and-a-half metre strip on the inside which was protected at the last meeting would now “be like gold” and everybody would be trying to dive on to it.

Vision To Kill (Nkosi Hlophe)

Gadsby confirmed the Kildonan three-year-old Vision To Kill would be the elect of his two but added, “Miss Varlicious can never be written off, she is an old campaigner and could run into the money.”

Gadsby felt Vision To Kill was a touch unlucky last time over course and distance in the Gr 3 Poinsettia when flying late and being beaten 0,5 lengths by The Secret Is Out.

“I felt the winner had a clear run the whole way and we did not,” he said.

However, Vision To Kill will now be 3kg worse off, as The Secret Is Out was carrying a Gr 1 penalty in that race. Vision To Kill will also be 2kg worse off with Live Life, whom she beat by a short-head.

One factor favouring Vision To Kill is she clearly loved the step up to 1200m and jockey Muzi Yeni will now know that, whilst he went into the last race unclear whether she would enjoy the step up from 1000m.

Vision To Kill has a low draw of two. However, Gadsby said if the going on the inside does prove on the day “to be gold” he was not sure whether this would work for or against Vision To Kill as she might in that case have to be used up early to hold her position.

Miss Varlicious, who is usually handy, is drawn out in eight and has Alec Forbes up.

By David Thiselton

Paul Lafferty has two good chances of winning the Gr 1 Allan Robertson at Scottsville on Saturday and whilst he rated Touch Of Magic the better filly he said Crymeariver had enjoyed a better preparation.

Touch Of Magic is an imposing Australian-bred by Sepoy and was very impressive when winning her debut over 1000m at Scottsville on March 1 under Diego de Gouveia, who claimed 2,5kg at the time.

Touch Of Magic (Nkosi Hlophe)

Lafferty said, “She is very talented and had it not been for a recent hiccup I would have rated her tough to beat. A lot of Summerveld horses have had elevated temperatures lately and she was one of them, so she has had a bit of an interrupted preparation. Her temperature is normal now and I will take a blood close to the race as a final precaution.”

Apprentice De Gouveia keeps the ride, but will not be able to claim his current 1,5kg.

Crymeariver by Elusive Fort made her debut on March 26 at Scottsville over 1200m, where she faced winners, and she burst through in eye-catching style to win full of running. She was receiving 3kg from the 1,5 lengths runner up, Neptune’s Rain, and also had a 4kg claimer up which meant she was receiving 7kg in all. However, if the claim is ignored it should just about put them together in Saturday’s race, considering the manner in which Crymeariver won and the improvement she is entitled to. The bookmakers rate them equal at around 7/1 the pair.

Lafferty said it had always been the plan to send Crymeariver straight into the Allan Robertson and he added, “I am very happy with her, she has been working very well at home.” He said she would get a mile even now, so it is not surprising he is sending her in fresh and another strong finish can be expected.

Touch Of Magic is a juicy 14/1 and this might be due to the jockey bookings as Anthony Delpech rides Crymeariver. However, Lafferty pointed out De Gouveia was one of his stable’s regular apprentices and it would have been “tough” to have taken him off Touch Of Magic.

Lafferty did not believe his pair’s high draws would be disadvantageous on the day.

Lafferty runs Sniper Shot in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion. He had to be scratched due to a temperature recently but is over it and put up good work on the grass the other day. Lafferty said, “It is a very tough race, I am not confident of him winning it, I will be happy if he places.”

By David Thiselton