Many punters looking for a banker in Saturday’s carryover Pick 6 (estimated pool R4million) will reach for trainer Sean Tarry and seriously consider two of his runners at the meeting, Legal Eagle and Heaps Of Fun.

Sean Tarry (Liesl King)

The ruling champion trainer, who is the leading the championship by some way this season, says: “I wouldn’t dissuade anybody from bankering either horse” and is cautiously optimistic about their chances.

Legal Eagle is the top-rated runner still racing in South Africa and will line up in the R1-million HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m. The race is run at weight-for-age and Legal Eagle is at least 1.50 lengths better than any of his rivals in the race.

“He is going for the R4-million President’s Champions Challenge so this is a prep race and while I believe he’s a better horse over 2000m, he did win the Queen’s Plate over 1600m in January. So it would not be foolhardy to judge him a suitable banker. But we’re hopeful rather than confident. If he wins, that’ll be fantastic.”

Tarry will also field Halve The Deficit in the Grade 1 race and believes he must not be left out of Quartets.

“He pulled up with a virus in the SANSUI Summer Cup so we had to give him time. I wasn’t unhappy with his sprint-up, when seventh in an 1100m Pinnacle race. He’ll be thereabouts.”

Heaps Of Fun, who races in the R1-million Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic over 1800m, beat 10 of these rivals when winning the Gauteng Fillies Guineas in February.

Legal Eagle (Liesl King)

She races over 1800m for the first time, but Tarry says: “I think she’s probably looking for the ground and don’t see a problem with the distance.”

He did confirm that he is certainly not going to restrict the filly to front-running tactics again.

“That was our game plan in the Fillies Guineas. She hadn’t been racing from the front before that, but I knew tactically it would work for us because the others wouldn’t worry about us.

“She’s a simple, laid-back and straightforward horse, who came out of the Fillies Guineas nicely. She’ll be competitive, for sure,” he said.

Negroamaro, who started favourite in the Fillies Guineas and finished a 0.90-length second, is the horse he fears most because “there is a lot of talk about how good she is and I’m not sure if there were excuses in that race”.

“Mike de Kock’s coupling, Noor and Persian Rug, have scope for improvement over the distance, but I make the grey filly the horse to beat.”

Tarry’s other runner in the SA Fillies Classic is Witchcraft. She won over 2000m in her last race and “the form has worked out well,” said Tarry. “She’s definitely an Oaks filly and this will be a nice test for her in this kind of company. We’ll see how she handles the jump in class. If she handles it, I wouldn’t expect her to get beaten too far. She’s very well.”

Heaps Of Fun (Nkosi Hlophe)

He has four runners in the topliner at the meeting, the R2-million SA Classic, Malak El Moolook, Lunar Approach, Liege – the choice of stable rider S’manga Khumalo – and Samurai Blade.

Tarry believes they all have a bit to do on merit ratings and says: “If I get a piece of the pie I won’t be unhappy.”

He points out there were valid reasons why they can do better this time.

“Malak El Moolook didn’t disgrace himself in finishing third behind Abashiri and Champagne Haze in the Gauteng Guineas and he got his tongue over the bit when well beaten by Liege last time out. We’ll try a tongue tie and see if that helps. But he is suspect over the trip.

“Liege had a problem in the stalls on Guineas Day but won his next race very well. I knew he was capable but the runner-up Count Tassilo was badly out at the weights. He won well enough and couldn’t do more than that.

“Lunar Approach’s saddle slipped in the Gauteng Guineas so you can’t read much into him finishing last.

Halve The Deficit (Nkosi Hlophe)

“The interesting runner is Samurai Blade, who is only having his second run for the yard. I’d planned to run him in the Derby Trial but his prep run – when second in a Pinnacle Plate – was so good, I thought I’d take a chance and see how he goes in this race.”

Are any of them underrated, in his opinion? “Maybe Lunar Approach is lurking under the radar,” he says. “It didn’t work out for him in Cape Town and he only had one run – in the CTS Million. But I don’t think Liege has done much wrong either.

“They’ve all been well prepared and with a clean run, we’ll see where they fit in.”

Another runner he believes can do well is very talented but temperamental Cloth Of Clouds. “She’s interesting because depending on how she does, we’ll decide whether to take on the colts in the SA Nursery at the end of the month or go against the fillies.”

As for his other runners on the day, he says none of them can be summarily discarded. “I’ve got a lot of good horses running and they should be competitive throughout, but it’s hard racing and nothing really stands out.”

– TABnews

Cape Trainer Neil Bruss has brought his promising fillies Flying Ice and Zante back to Summerveld for further tilts at South African Champions Season feature races.

Neil Bruss (Nkosi Hlophe)

The three-year-old Go Deputy filly Flying Ice won the Listed Devon Air Stakes over 1400m at Greyville last season before finishing a 0,75 length fourth in the Gr 1 Thekwini Stakes over 1600m. She was a touch unlucky last time out in first time blinkers when a 1,25 length runner up in the Gr 3 Prix Du Cap over 1400m at Kenilworth.

She had to be continually switched out and only saw daylight 200m out. She then flew home, but it was too late to catch the winner, the decent four-year-old Cuvee Brut. Bruss had been confident of winning the Prix du Cap, despite her 33/1 odds, as she had recovered from the illness which had affected her previous run. Cuvee Brut raced off a 103 merit rating that day and the 98 merit-rated Flying Ice faced her on weight for age terms, so it was a fine performance by the latter considering her bad luck in running. The progeny of Go Deputy show continual improvement with age and she has been doing well since arriving at Summerveld, so is one to follow.

Four-year-old Zante is another filly who should be improving being by the top class sire Ideal World. She ran a 3,25 length fourth to Smart Call in last year’s Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 and, of course, that form now looks outstanding. Bruss was forced to race Zante mainly against males in the Cape Summer, as there were no suitable races for her, and she has consequently dropped to an attractive 89 merit rating. Bruss said there would be many opportunities for this staying type during the SA Champions Season and she starts her campaign on Sunday in a 1600m Conditions Plate at Scottsville. She is affective over a mile, despite preferring further.

Bruss has also brought another decent four-year-old staying type in the Go Deputy filly Deputy Ryder. She won three races in KZN last year for the Alyson Wright yard, including the Listed Queen Palm Stakes over 2400m at Greyville. She should love being back at Summerveld and is likely to have as many opportunities as the similar type, Zante. She only found the frame once in four starts during the Cape Summer, but was up against some good types, and the handicapper has consequently only dropped her one point to a 94 merit rating.

By David Thiselton

Summerveld trainer Robbie Hill’s Pathfork colt Red Chesnut Road was the talk of the Scottsville meeting on Sunday after running away with a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1000m on his debut.

Later there was a good front-running performance from the useful Sean Tarry-trained Serissa to win the Listed Easter Handicap over 1950m under S’Manga Khumalo, while the Louis Goosen-trained Trip Tease showed how classy he is by coming from off the pace to win the innovative Easter Dash over 600m.

Red Chesnut Road (Nkosi Hlophe)

Hill, a top jockey for many years who once completed a rare Durban July/Gold Cup double, knows the game well and is not allowing himself to be carried away by Red Chesnut Road’s performance, despite the effortless win by 7,75 lengths under Brandon Lerena.

The Highlands-bred chestnut colt showed fine gatespeed and early speed, allowing him to overcome a high draw, which is usually viewed as unfavourable down the Scottsville straight. He steadily increased his lead under hands and heels.

The only possible downside to the victory was the winning time of the following race, won by the strapping Gavin van Zyl-trained two-year-old Just As Well filly Princess Analia. The latter’s time was just 0,48 seconds slower than Red Chesnut Road’s. This might bring in to question the quality of the field Red Chesnut Road beat. However, the Dennis Drier-trained Western Winter colt Lee’s Star, who was beaten 11,5 lengths into third place, was the subject of a big whisper and started 13/10 favourite, so must show a lot at home. Furthermore, Gavin van Zyl rates Princess Analia a “smart filly” and she certainly gave that impression in Sunday’s race, which followed her debut second on the poly in which she was green. Her big action took her to the front and she held on by 0,75 lengths from the Drier-trained debutant Sail, who is by Philanthropist. The 8/10 Duncan Howells-trained favourite Dawn Calling was beaten 3,5 lengths with the rest beaten ten lengths and more.

Hill liked Red Chesnut Road from the moment he saw him at the KZN Suncoast Yearling Sale and was surprised to pick him up for just R250,000. His pedigree suggests he should get a mile and more. Pathfork by Distorted Humor won a Gr 1 over seven furlongs at the Curragh in Ireland in soft going and the narrow runner up Casamento subsequently won a Gr 2 over a mile by four lengths before winning the Gr 1 Racing Post Trophy over a mile at Doncaster. Red Chesnut Road’s dam Scarlet Sky by Fort Wood won three times from 1200-1600m and his second dam Fading Light won the Gr 1 Empress Club Stakes over 1600m and was third in the SA Oaks.

Princess Analia (Nkosi Hlophe)

Hill has had a high regard for Red Chesnut Road from day one, but is wisely not getting ahead of himself. The acid test will obviously be when he faces some of the best from the Highveld and the Cape. Consequently, no Gr 1 targets are being spoken about just yet.

Front-runners appear to be favoured by small fields, as they are able to dictate, and such was the case with Serissa in the Easter Handicap over 1950m. The tough six-year-old gelding by Black Minnaloushe started favourite despite having been given a six point merit rated raise to 95 for an easy win in the Non-Black Type Umthombothi Stakes over 2000m on the poly in his penultimate start. The Dean Kannemeyer-trained Solar Star, who sat second in the running, was chasing throughout the straight but was still 1,5 lengths shy at the line and second favourite No Worries finished third. Serissa is just below the best, so won’t be easy to place during the South African Champions Season. However, he has proven able to stay 2400m and has not been tried over further than that yet, so there are a range of possibilities.

Trip Tease was able to come from about two lengths off the pace under Gunther Wrogemann in the Easter Dash, despite his rivals going all out from gun to tape, and he got up in the shadow of the post to beat outsiders Piano Man and Zinnavar by 0,75 lengths.

By David Thiselton

Horses from visiting stables are rolling in with 117 boxes booked for Summerveld, 38 in Ashburton while Neil Bruss will be stabled off limits near Summerveld with 6 boxes.

The visitors are dominated by Western Cape trainers with Mike Bass, Brett Crawford, and Vaughan Marshall all allocated 20 boxes. Joey Ramsden has been allocated 15 boxes while Justin Snaith will fill 22.

The only Highveld visitor with boxes at Summerveld will be Mike Azzie with 20.

Johan Janse van Vuuren has applied for 20 boxes at Ashburton along with Louis Goosen (10) and Stanley Ferreira (8).

Sean Tarry and Dean Kannemeyer have permanent satellite yards at Summerveld while Weiho Marwing has a satellite yard at Turffontein and is now based in Ashburton.

The majority of Highveld trainers, but most notably Geoff Woodruff and Gary Alexander, will raid.

By Andrew Harrison

Picture: Louis Goosen (Nkosi Hlophe)

Psycho Syd is Durban-bound after shrugging aside a near three-month absence to give weight all round in lightning fast time in the Itsarush.co.za Handicap at Kenilworth on Saturday.

MJ Byleveld sent him to the front fully two furlongs from home and he slammed the clearly smart Orion Quest by nearly three lengths with the third another two lengths away. The time, admittedly helped by a strong wind, was only a fifth of a second outside Brutal Force’s six furlong course record.

Vaughan Marshall

Vaughan Marshall said: “We gelded him after the Sophomore and after we saw the handicappers had put him up three points for finishing fourth. He now goes to Durban.”

The Milnerton trainer introduced a smart-looking newcomer in William Longsword in the opener. The R2.2 million Captain Al colt showed real promise in the way he made up ground in the last 150m to dead-heat for third and Marshall was understandably pleased with the performance.

Greg Ennion revealed – after landing a treble with Jeremy, Chrome Blue and Chanukah – that he had taken a massive gamble a few months ago.

He said: “I’ve only got 30 horses and I explained to my owners that I can’t compete in the Cape season so I took a calculated step. I said to them ‘Give me a chance and I will show you what I can do after the season ends.’

“I promptly eased off with the horses and then brought them back – and it has worked. I can’t remember when I last had a treble.”

All three winners won with authority and in a manner that suggested there is more to come. Ennion confirmed this, adding: “Gelding has improved Chrome Blue. He had always shown potential but he is now becoming a serious horse while Jeremy has still to fill out – he looks like a coat-hanger at the moment.”

Mike Robinson showed that you don’t need to spend a fortune for a winner when Streaming – only R10 000 at the National Two-Year-Old Sale – came again to get up close home under Aldo Domeyer in the Play The Bipot Maiden Juvenile.

Robinson said: “I was the only bidder and I couldn’t fault her.”

Donovan Dillon got up on Dancer in the opening two-year-old maiden having spent more time on the road than a long-distance lorry driver. After accepting a string of rides at Fairview he found there wasn’t a flight to be had.

Many would have picked up the phone to the various trainers, apologised and thought no more about it. Not this man. He got into his car on Thursday and drove for seven hours. After eight rides and two winners, he did the same on Friday night only this time it took a lot longer because he had rain to contend with for most of the 750k. He finally arrived back in Cape Town at 1.15am.

Joey Ramsden was impressed, particularly when Dillon duly won on Dancer, and so too was retired Dusseldorf businessman Wolfgang Schmitz when he heard the background to the story of his first winner.

By Michael Clower