National Champion trainer Sean Tarry scored another milestone when reaching a likely record of 200 winners for the season on Saturday at Greyville and it was fitting it happened in a feature race.

Tarry had a strong hand in the Listed Off To Stud Stakes over 1600m on the polytrack.

However, in the end it was the least fancied of his five runners, Lady Of Kildare, who prevailed under a typically polished ride from Anthony Delpech, beating stablemate Enchanted Silk by 1,75 lengths.

This Klawervlei Stud-bred five-year-old Captain Al mare has now won half of her eight starts on the Greyville poly.

Tarry is thought to be the first trainer to have ever reached the 200-winner mark in a South African season. He saddled three more winners at Turffontein yesterday to take his season tally to 203.

David Thiselton

Red Ray looks set to be retired to stud at Klawervlei following his inspired return to form in the Mercury Sprint at Greyville last Saturday.

Owner Markus Jooste’s racing manager Derek Brugman said yesterday that he is having discussions with the stud’s directors and that he might not know for sure until the end of the week.

But he added: “Red Ray is a brilliant horse and he has achieved everything we set out for him. With his pedigree, winning a Group 1 was all he needed on his CV to make a top stallion.

“It is a bit late in the season to send him to stud but we can make a plan to make it work for all the breeders who support him.”

The Sean Tarry-trained Legal Eagle, who many thought would go for the Champions Cup after side-stepping the Vodacom Durban July, is to have a rest before having another crack at the top Cape Town races. The four-year-old won the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate in January before beating all except Smart Call in the Met.

Brugman explained: “Legal Eagle raced in two different provinces [he also won the HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut and the Premier’s Champions Challenge] and, while I would have expected him to win a race of the calibre of the Champions Cup, I didn’t think it was prudent to put that pressure on the horse.

“I discussed it with Sean and we have decided to give him a break and bring him back for the feature season in Cape Town.  He would probably then go back to Jo’burg for the Horse Chestnut and Premier’s Champions Challenge.”

Durban July hero The Conglomerate also misses the Champions Cup and the Joey Ramsden-trained four-year-old is to be aimed at the Sansui Summer Cup that Markus and Ingrid Jooste won with Wagner in 2012. They were also part-owners of the 2013 winner Yorker.

Brugman said: “I know it’s sacrilege to give the Champions Cup a miss when the horse is in such good form but we would like to be able to go for the Summer Cup off his present rating.”

Michael Clower

Ready To Attack is to go again before the winter is out and he looks like staying a kilo or two in front of the handicapper after returning to winning form in the Racing.It’s A Rush Handicap at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Richard Fourie’s mount won with authority but the margin was only three-quarters of a length and apparently there is more to come.

“He was not quite ready so he should improve a bit from this and he loves the wet,” explained Chris Snaith. “In Australia More Than Ready’s offspring are renowned for liking the soft when they can be five to ten lengths better.”

Gelding is also playing a part in the three-year-old’s improvement – “He was a very aggressive sort and if ever a horse was well-named it’s him. He put MJ Byleveld in hospital after winning the Langerman and if anything came near him at home he would back up three paces and let fly. We gelded him six or seven weeks ago and he looks a lot calmer now.”

However Snaith snr quickly found out that appearances can be deceptive with this horse. ‘Three weeks after the operation I put him back in the string and he promptly started lining them up again!”

The Australian-bred sported the Jooste colours carried to Mercury Sprint victory by Red Ray ten minutes earlier but is part-owned by Hassen Adams who has become a major player in the Stop Hunger Now campaign and personally packed 3 000 meals. In his more familiar role Adams also scored with the Darrel Hodgson-trained 10-1 shot Trippvilia (Xavier Carstens) and Red Light Girl for Snaith Racing.

The last-named started favourite for her two previous races but got going too late. Fourie made sure it was third time lucky by bouncing her out of the pens and leading throughout. His mount beat the well-regarded Scandola by three and a half lengths with the third seven lengths away.

Randall Simons, hoping to build some useful Cape Town contacts on his first visit to Kenilworth  for five seasons, had the sort of day that air travellers have nightmares about.

“When I got to Oliver Tambo at 6.00am South African Airways told me that they had cancelled my 7.00am flight the night before,” he related. “I’d received a flight confirmation but no emails about any cancellation.

“I tried to get on other flights – I even drove to Lanseria and then back to Oliver Tambo – but I couldn’t get anything.”

In the Kenilworth weighing room trainers and their assistants searched for last-minute replacements as desperately as prospectors during a gold strike. But the already-critical situation was made even worse by Craig du Plooy falling sick after the first and three of the Simons mounts had to be scratched.

Charisma made sure of a Port Elizabeth reprieve by responding to first time blinkers in the Designamite Incorporated Maiden. “She is a very light-framed filly and there is a fine line between getting her fit enough and doing too much,” said Candice Robinson. ”We said we would send her to PE if she couldn’t win her maiden.”

Aldo Domeyer followed up on Shane Humby top weights Tribal Fusion and Neala but Robert Khathi, who won the last on Galla Placidia for Eric Sands, has been suspended for a week because of the way Sign Your Name barged aside her opponents a week earlier.

Paul Reeves, who had an opening race one-two with 20-1 shots, reckons runner-up Birds Eye View has more of a future than the winner. “He is a nice horse in the making whereas Brandon May’s mount Newsman is a Mauritius candidate. He ran a good race in a strong field first time but in his second race he wouldn’t raise a gallop and I put blinkers on here,” he explained.

Michael Clower

 

Red Ray won possibly the most important race of his life when landing the Gr1 Mercury Sprint at Greyville yesterday. Racing in blinkers for the first time he motored to the line under Anton Marcus to beat home rank outsider Night Trip and the filly Real Princess. Favourite Talktothestars had a nightmare trip from his wide draw and did well to finish fourth.

Not only did Red Ray enhance his reputation but probably also saved a visit from the vet and instead book a place on the Klawervlei Stud stallion roster. It was also another Gr1 winner for Markus and Ingrid Jooste, their placed further cemented at the top of the leading owners list with the Mike Bass-trained Night Trip providing a one-two.

Joey Ramsden, fresh off the high of winning the Vodacom Durban July a fortnight ago, and Jooste racing manager Derek Brugman deemed Red Ray good enough to take his chances in Dubai under the care of Mike de Kock. But it proved an ill-fated journey as the son of Western Winter managed only a single start. He was however, thought good enough to warrant the expense of a return trip home. It proved an inspired decision.

“He came from Mike in absolutely tip-top condition and all I had to do was put the cherry on the top,” complimented Ramsden.

Red Ray made a promising return after his lengthy break with a fourth in the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Sprint and then did not get the best of passages in the G2 Post Merchants. Red Ray found good market support in both races which should have tipped off punters that there was still a big race in the entire.

Fitting blinkers was probably the master stroke yesterday and although running around in the finish the result was never in doubt once Red Ray had collared pacemaker Captain Alfredo.

The pace was on from the start as apprentice Lyle Hewiston committed Captain Alfredo early. But Marcus has few rivals when it comes to the start and as if by magic he had Red Ray out of his 10 gate in a flash and up with the pace. Trip Tease made a tardy start and was swamped on the rail while Gavin Lerena opted to drop out from the jump and Talktothestars was last after the field had travelled a furlong. With a strong tailwind in the straight his goose was already cooked.

Red Ray tackled Captain Alfredo early in the straight but the pacemaker had done his dash leaving Marcus in front. Real Princess and Night Trip finished best of the pack but Red Ray had the race nailed a long way out.

Ramsden summed up, “I’m glad to have finally won it. I’ve run second too many times.”

In earlier action, top weight In Other Words started favourite for the Off To Stud Stakes (Listed) but it was stable companion Lady Of Kildare and Anthony Delpech, riding his 201^st winner of the season, who spoilt the party for punters who plunged on the more fancied runner. The win also gave Sean Tarry his 200^th winner of a season that he will never forget. He is R9 million ahead of nearest rival Justin Snaith in the now one-horse race for the National Trainer’s title and he can dust off his penguin suit for the Equus Awards on August 16.

Delpech, as is his want, had Sean Tarry’s mare perfectly placed to challenge coming off the false rail and she quickened through the traffic to win fluently from the third of Tarry’s runners, Enchanted Silk who edged out Silver Class in a photo.

In Other Words was in trouble soon after entering the straight and Piere Strydom eased her out of the race with something obviously amiss.

Weichong Marwing, still battling a dodgy back, was booked off the ride on Zante for the Queen Palm Stakes but Neil Bruss was more than happy to toss the bone to Marcus.

He proved an inspired replacement, riding his rivals to sleep and skipping home with six lengths to spare. Gathering Fame set funereal early fractions in the 2400m event but with half the race gone Marcus allowed Zante to pick up the gallop. Coming up the hill he had plenty of daylight on his field with Lerena on favourite and stable companion Deputy Ryder seemingly unperturbed in the back seat.

But all the jockey’s barring Marcus got it wrong as Zante kept rolling to win as she liked, Deputy Ryder putting in a belated finish for second but six lengths adrift at the line.

Andrew Harrison

The Gr 1 Mercury Sprint, which looks to be ultra competitive, heads a nine event card for the racing purist to savour at Greyville on Saturday.

Trip To Heaven has speed and class as well as a good draw and he looks set to land his first Gr 1. S’Manga Khumalo knows the lightly raced four-year-old Trippi gelding well and should bring the best out of him. This horse is versatile so can use his speed to lead if jumping well or could otherwise bring his devastating turn of foot to the table if coming from off the pace.

Talktothestars is officially the highest rated runner in the field by a whopping seven points. He displayed a fine turn of foot in the Computaform Sprint and might have to employ it to the maximum from his wide draw here, or otherwise he will have to get lucky if opting to be as handy as he was when winning the Tsogo Sun Sprint. Gavin Lerena’s Hong Kong experience will be of huge benefit in this race as the 1200m races there are all around the turn.

Trip Tease jumps from pole position and although only ever racing beyond 1000m once in his career he has been settling well lately, as he did last time when sitting behind a fast pace over 1000m in  a Pinnacle event at Turffontein, before turning it on impressively to win going away by 3,25 lengths.

Barbosa didn’t raise a gallop in the Tsogo Sun, having run an excellent third in the Computaform Sprint before that. In January he showed how well he can turn it on from behind over 1200m at Greyville when beaten just a neck by Ice Machine at level weights. A repeat from his tough draw of 14 here will give him a chance.

Real Princess’s draw of six should allow her to find cover before using her exceptional turn of foot. Gulf Storm has the blinkers off and should be running on strongly from a tricky draw. Heartland has always been hightly regarded and should also be making late headway being a horse better suited to 1400m.

Lanner Falcon is a dark horse as one who will relish this tough 1200m and she was a touch unlucky when having to be switched wide for a run in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint. Triptique’s excellent Drill Hall Stakes runner up effort gives him a chance of earning here too. Fly By Night is a former winner of this race when it was staged at Clairwood and showed in the recent Post Metchants she can run on well from behind as she will likely need to from a tricky draw here.

Red Ray has his third run after a long layoff and is another with the class to win. Night Trip is an intriguing runner as a classy 1400-1600m horse who has done well at Greyville before and he did win the last time he was tried over this distance way back in October 2013 at Durbanville. Exelero finished a fine third in the Tsogo Sun but officially has the toughest task at the weights here.

Captain Alfredo will have to improve on his Post Merchants run to be a factor and strikes as being a bit too one-paced to be a threat at this level, although he could perhaps play an important role by leading as this will likely give him his best chance from a tricky draw.

The selection is Trip To Heaven to beat Talktothestars, Trip Tease, Barbosa and Real Princess.

In the first race over 1600m on the turf Philanthropist colt Rockefella impressed when running on over 1400m on the Greyville turf to win on debut and he should relish the step up in trip. His paternal half-brother The Slade is a half-brother to two-year-old Gr 1-winner Afrikaburn and has a fair draw with Anthony Delpech up. Step Up is a lot better than his last run when caught hopelessly wide and he is the dark horse from a good draw.

In the second over 1600m The High Life won a race over this trip at Scottsville which was later declared null and void, so has a weight advantage here receiving 3kg as a non-winner. Costa Da Sol won fluently second time out on the poly over this trip and Dancing Wall could improve.

In the third over 1400m on the poly, the hard-knocking Hejira could beat a weak field.

In the fourth over 1600m on the poly, the form of Lonelyarethebrave’s win over course and distance last time has been franked so he could make it a course and distance hattrick off a four point higher mark, despite a wide draw. Emperor Niarchos and Danish Wood make most appeal of the rest.

Seventh Heart is an improving sort and looks the one to beat from a tough draw in the Listed Off To Stud Stakes over 1600m on the poly. In Other Words and Chennai Babe should be thereabouts too.

In the Queen palm Stakes over 2400m on the turf, Deputy Ryder has some class and is drawn well over a suitable trip. Gathering Fame and Zante could be threats.

In the eighth over 1000m on the poly Zinnavar should be cherry ripe to deliver over a suitable course and distance. Big King can’t be ignored from a good draw and Shenyang is the dark horse as one who is a lot better than his last two runs.

In the last over 1200m on the poly, Wind Singer has some class and could make amends for her disappointing last run from another good draw. Lily Gray has a chance from pole and Shizam is a two-year-old who caught the eye in her last win over this trip at Kenilworth and she is also well drawn.

David Thiselton