Young South African jockey Callan Murray gained a dream result at just his third meeting in Hong Kong, scoring his first Sha Tin win in style with a shock victory on 88-1 rank outsider Lucky Year in the Gr3 Sha Tin Vase Handicap (1200m) on Sunday.

“Unbelievable!” Murray exclaimed after Danny Shum-trained Lucky Year poked through to hold off a wall of challengers.

“I can’t believe it, how exciting is this? It’s crazy. I didn’t expect it so soon, but I’m thrilled – what a way to break through at Sha Tin. I’ve been very fortunate.

“You always hope that you can make an impression quickly, you’ve got it in the back of your head you want to do well, but I didn’t think it could be like this. Hopefully it gives me a bit of momentum going forward.”

“Danny told me to have him midfield but they went so slow, they were really dragging it back throughout, so I ended up sitting handier,” Murray said. “I think he seemed to really travel well, and I knew I had plenty underneath me turning in. I thought he could be around the mark but wow, he really found.

Murray admitted there was some concern that he would miss the ride because he would struggle to get down to the horse’s allotted weight of 115lb. In the end, he tipped the scales one pound over at 116lb.

“I thought I might have to forego the ride, not getting down to 115, but they let me ride 116,” Murray said. “It was hard work to get that weight down but I’m absolutely rapt, I’m so happy I did it. This is such a great result.”

Shum was full of praise for Murray and predicted a fruitful Hong Kong career for the 20-year-old Johannesburg native.

“I rang a few jockeys asking them to ride this horse, but none of them wanted to ride him,” Shum said. “Then I came across Callan. He worked hard to get his weight down and he really wanted the chance. I thought he would be a good fit.

“He’s a very polite kid, he’s got talent and I would be happy to use him on more of my horses. I could see him being here for a long time to come.”

– HKJC.com

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.

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

As a builder of character, racing is up there with war and poverty, wrote Les Carlyon, who added, racing can even cause poverty. But racing also brings out an array of emotions that were on full display at Scottsville yesterday – raucous celebration, relief and the shedding of a quiet tear.

For champion trainer Sean Tarry is was a bit of both. Bull Valley’s clinical performance in the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Sprint was celebrated with loud, fist-pumping and back slapping while star mare Carry On Alice bowed out of racing with a quiet tear after signing off her racing career in the Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint.

Relief was etched on Dennis Drier’s face after boom colt Sand And Sea gave him his sixth Gr1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion in eight years and seventh overall but Les Taylor and his friends gave it the full treatment after Paul Matchett’s outsider Brave Mary romped home in the Gr1 Allan Robertson.

A group hug and dance on the members viewing balcony almost saw them topple over the rail before they bolted to the paddock to the refrain of, “you’ve just seen the next Igugu.”

General consensus before the meeting was that the inside 5m strip of turf that had been protected at the last Scottsville meeting, would provide the best going.

As a result, all dived for the strip of supposedly superior going in the first three sprints and there were the usual hard luck stories. Not so for Anton Marcus who had sussed out the going aboard Attenborough a fortnight back, winning from the extreme outside barrier.

By the running of the Tsogo Sun, attention had switched to the outside strip and S’Manga Khumalo took full advantage of 16 draw on Bull Valley. He catapulted his mount out of the pens and was barely headed with London Call matching strides up the centre.

A furlong out, there were still plenty in contention but Bull Valley kept finding and drew off to win rather comfortably from Search Party and the veteran Barbosa. Top weight and last year’s winner Talktothestars found traffic just as he was unwinding a run and lost all momentum.

A lightly raced son of Toreador, this was Bull Valley’s fifth victory from just nine starts.

Carry On Alice bowed out of racing on a fitting note as she added a fifth Gr1 to her CV and the 11^th success of her career. With celebrations under way, Tarry walked off to one side, alone with his emotions while co-owner Chris van Niekerk was also dabbing away with his handkerchief. “I’m shedding a few tears. This is a bit embarrassing.”

Regular pilot Khumalo always had Carry On Alice up with the pace and she responded as any tough campaigner would, hitting the front when it counted and fighting all the way to the line. Three-year-olds Just Sensual, winner of the Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas, and last season’s Gr1 Allan Robertson winner The Secret Is Out chased hard, the former closing late, but they were no match.

Van Niekerk confirmed that the daughter of super sire Captain Al would now be shipped to Australia for a date with a stallion still to be decided on.

“She will miss the season,” said Tarry, “but that’s OK.”

“We won’t be able to buy them,” quipped Tarry to Mike de Kock, referring to Rafeef and Mustaaqeem, both progeny of Tarry’s star mare National Colour who stands Down Under and races in the blue and white silks of Sheikh Hamdan.

The grey Bela-Bela, having her first outing since the Sun Met back in January, finished just off them and Justin Snaith will have been well pleased with her performance.

Giving start in a Gr1 sprint is usually tantamount to disaster but Sand And Sea made light of this seeming mishap turning in a superb performance under Anton Marcus. Sand And Sea is a magnificent specimen of a thoroughbred and strutted the paddock like he owned it.  “You can see that he thinks he’s good,” commented Drier.

“He’s a brute of a horse,” said Marcus. “He takes time to get going but he does it so easily.”

Sire Twice Over was a superb racehorse, numbering the Gr1 Champion Stakes and the Gr1 Juddmonte International Stakes amongst his victories and this victory is a cracking start to his stud career.

Tarry’s day did not get off to the best of starts, Gr2 SA Fillies Nursery winner Green Plans having to play second fiddle to 30-1 outsider Brave Mary. Gunter Wrogemann had his mount travelling well within herself in the early exchanges but when asked the question, the daughter of Brave Tin Soldier responded as if she had jumped in at the two-furlong pole. She simply raced clear to win as she liked much to the delight of her connections. A simple tongue-tie would appear to have been the key to unlocking her potential, winning her maiden by five lengths.

Whether she is another Igugu, only time will tell but Les Taylor and his mates live in hope. Co-owner Dean Bayley missed the party but Dubai would probably have been rocking.

By Andrew Harrison

Dutch Philip is a confident choice for the Cape Of Good Hope Nursery at Kenilworth tomorrow – or at least he would be if the history of the race did not suggest that he is odds-on to get beaten.

The Somerset, which he won with such authority three weeks ago, is a notoriously unreliable guide. In the last 12 seasons only two of its winners have won the Cape Nursery and during that period only twice has the outright favourite for this proved successful. Indeed the starting price of the last two winners has averaged 10-1.

The race tends to be won by a forgettable horse – although subsequent Dubai scorer Diana’s Choice came out on top ten years ago and last year Sergeant Hardy came out on top – but, statistics apart, Dutch Philip has all the right credentials.

If he is to be beaten then Speedpoint looks the most likely to succeed. There was only half a length between them when they met over a furlong less at levels six weeks ago but it was the superior turn of foot of Aldo Domeyer’s mount that proved decisive and he looked as if he would confirm the placings over this trip.

Speedpoint missed the Somerset rematch because of a viral infection as did stable companion Morning Catch who, although well held on a line through Captain Ram, won his only start convincingly and in a manner that suggested he could come on quite considerably.

Virtue, stablemate of the favourite, won his only start and, although the form does not look anything special, it’s worth bearing in mind that the racecourse woke him up and revealed talent for perhaps the first time – Domeyer: “He is a lazy guy but I was absolutely cantering behind horses.”

Dollar Tractor produced a late surge to get up close home when starting favourite three weeks ago but he is going to have to produce further improvement to pose a threat. Badawee is the only non-winner in the field, and Supreme Orator cut him down mercilessly in the last 100m, while third-placed Ben-Hur did the form no favours last Sunday.

Zodiac Jack was beaten over four lengths when third in the Somerset and he is now 2kg worse with Dutch Philip who appears to have only history to beat.

Stable companion Magical Wonderland beat a strong field in the Perfect Promise and can stretch her unbeaten run to three in the Kenilworth Fillies Nursery.

By Michael Clower

A Pinnacle Stakes event over 2450m and a Progress Plate over 1400m head the nine race card at Turffontein on Sunday.

B Twenty One will be going for her fourth victory in succession in the Pinnacle Stakes event. She has a fine turn of foot and is proving to be a progressive stayer. She is officially only 0,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted horse Storm Warning. On the downside her regular jockey Anthony Delpech can’t make the weight of 51, 5kg. JP van der Merwe is the able replacement and they jump from a good draw. She is selected to win. Delpech rides Save The Rhino, who is 1,5kg under sufferance with Storm Warning and has been in the first three in all three of his starts over staying trips, including a victory over this course and distance. There is not much between him and Let It Rain, who comes from the yard of Weiho Marwing, an expert trainer of stayers. Lions Emblem proved last time that staying races are his game and also has a shout. Smart Mart is a useful stayer on his day and will be a threat if bouncing back to form.

In the Progress Plate Bella Sonata has shown her class by finishing second to Nother Russia in her last two starts over 1600m, including in the Grade 1 Empress Club Stakes. She would prefer 1600 metres, but enjoys this galloping track and is well drawn and very well weighted. Piere Strydom rides and she is the selection. Zouaves is officially 13kg under sufferance with Bella Sonata, but has not yet had a chance to prove himself and has been impressive in his last two starts over this sort of trip. He has a fine turn of foot and if he learns to relax better in the running he could become a serious horse. Doosra has been a touch disappointing this season after a promising start, but is second best in at the weights, despite being 8,5kg out with Bella Sonata. He is drawn in pole over an ideal course and distance.

Punters could get off to a good start in race one with Let’s Twist, who caught the eye in her debut over 1400 metres. She was cramped for room at the business end, but when she was finally extracted she ran on strongly and will relish the step up to 1600m.

In the second, Effortless didn’t have a clear passage after a slow start on debut over 1200m around the turn and was finishing strongly after being switched so is the one to beat in this 1160m event.

Silver God is a nice looking type and will relish the step up to 1600m of the third after catching the eye over sprint trips, although he was still green in his second start last time when disappointing in the Gr 3 Protea Stakes over 1100m after being backed. Polar Ice should also enjoy the step up in trip and from pole position could be the main danger.

Two-year-old Zerodarkthirty looks the horse to beat in the fourth over 1160m. On debut he started slowly but ran on well to finish second behind a promising sort.

The fifth is a typically competitive sprint handicap over 1000m. Clever, Guy, Hashtag Strat and Effortless Reward all have good pace and will likely be favoured by the current fast going conditions. In the seventh, Inga looks to be a decent sort who can rise above her current merit rating and this is her ideal 1600m trip, although she does have a wide draw to overcome. Trellis has become a useful front-runner so could be dangerous from a nice draw.

In the last race over 1400m, Misty Roller has caught the eye since blinkers have been applied and was just too strong in the running over 1700 metres last time, so will likely relish the step down in trip.

By David Thiselton