Princess might be missing, but Sean Tarry is very much there

The Randjesfontein master Sean Tarry has no fewer than seven of the 29 entries for the 1600m Grade 2 contest, which carries a reduced R175,000 stake, but for which Peermont Emperors Palace and other sponsors have put up R1 million for distribution to worthy causes.

When nominations were revealed on Monday evening, Tarry’s powerplay included the likes of Grade 1-winning Warrior’s Rest, Tierra Del Fuego, lightly raced Cornish Pomodoro and Zillzaal, who has not run since winning the Gauteng Summer Cup last year.

Backing them up are Tree Tumbo, Silver God and progressive filly Victoria Paige.

Terra Del Fuego – 11^th in the Durban July three months ago, six lengths adrift of winner Belgarion – has been allocated top weight of 60kg. The five-year-old looks due a feature race win, but has a wide initial draw here – which probably accounts for his fairly long opening market odds of 11-1.

Stablemate Warrior’s Rest – winner of the Golden Horse Sprint and second in the Mercury Sprint during the KwaZulu-Natal winter season – opened up at 9-1 after being set to carry 59.5kg from draw 18.

The draws will come down when the final field of 16 is determined.

Cape Town-based trainers Justin Snaith and Brett Crawford have thrown their hats into the Charity Mile ring, the former with Crown Towers, winner of the Listed Michaelmas Handicap over 1900m at Greyville on Sunday, and Stopalltheclocks. Crawford has entered Hudoo Magic, who went down 0.50 lengths in a Pinnacle Stakes at Greyville on Sunday.

All three runners of these horses are currently stabled in KwaZulu-Natal, but it is still admirable that down-country stables are willing to travel in straitened and disease-ridden times.

Other candidates that might make the trip up from the east coast are Tony Rivalland’s promising Tristful and Paul Lafferty’s old warhorse Dark Moon Rising.

Mike de Kock has a good Charity Mile record, including 2019’s victory of Barahin. He has just one runner entered this time around – Charles, who has recently moved stables and had his first run on the Highveld recently when finishing a 4.75-length fifth behind Astrix in a Pinnacle Stakes over 1600m on the Inside track at Turffontein.

It was the first run since February for the R6-million yearling purchase.

Paul Peter, who leads the national trainers’ log after two and a half months of the new season, has entered Atrix and Riverstown (ruling favourite at 7-1).

Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco, who comes from a keen racing family in Benoni, has been known to attend this race meeting – but not this year, thanks to the pandemic. Nonetheless, the card is graced by the Grade 3 HSH Princess Charlene Starling Stakes for three-year-old fillies.

The companion 1400m race for three-year-old males is the Graham Beck Stakes, while a third Grade 3, the Yellowwood Handicap over 1800m for fillies and mares, further gilds a shiny programme. And there’s more: the Non-Black Type R900,000 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup (Presented by Bloodstock South Africa) over 1400m; the Listed Golden Loom Handicap over 1000m and the Listed Java Handicap over 2400m.

Supplementary entries close at 11am on Friday 23 October and declarations must be in by 11am on Tuesday 27 October – when the final field and draw for charities and horses will be done live on TellyTrack.

Early WSB betting for Charity Mile:

7-1 Riverstown

15-2 Crown Towers

9-1 Warrior’s Rest, Hero’s Honour

11-1 Tierra Del Fuego, Astrix, Charles

14-1 Divine Odyssey, Cornish Pomodoro, Tree Tumbo

16-1 and upwards the others

EMPERORS PALACE CHARITY MILE (Grade 2) (Open) R175,000 1600m:

19 TIERRA DEL FUEGO (S G Tarry) 60.0

18 ZILLZAAL (S G Tarry) 59.0

13 INFAMOUS FOX (C Dawson) 58.0

9 WARRIOR’S REST (S G Tarry) 58.0

26 DIVINE ODYSSEY (J J van Vuuren) 57.5

25 GREEN HAZE (A G Laird) 57.0

10 RIVERSTOWN (P A Peter) 57.0

17 CROWN TOWERS (S J Snaith) 56.5

1 HERO’S HONOUR (G M Alexander) 55.0

28 TRISTFUL (A J Rivalland) 55.0

20 CHITENGO (A G Laird) 54.0

24 ASTRIX (P A Peter) 53.5

16 MAGIC SCHOOL (G M Alexander) 53.5

3 VICTORIA PAIGE (S G Tarry) 53.5

8 YOUCANTHURRYLOVE (F P Habib) 53.5

21 APPROACH CONTROL (C Dawson) 53.0

2 CHARLES (M F De Kock) 53.0

7 HUDOO MAGIC (B Crawford) 52.0

4 SARAGON (G M Alexander) 51.5

29 ORPHEUS (M/A Azzie) 51.0

23 SILVER GOD (S G Tarry) 51.0

12 DARK MOON RISING (P V Lafferty) 50.5

22 FULL MAST (M/A Azzie) 50.0

6 CORNISH POMODORO (S G Tarry) 49.5

27 EXPRESSFROMTHEUS (S T Pettigrew) 49.0

14 TREE TUMBO (S G Tarry) 48.5

11 CATEGORY FOUR (G J Maroun) 46.5

5 SEVEN PATRIOTS (M/A Azzie) 46.5

15 STOPALLTHECLOCKS (S J Snaith) 45.5

GRAHAM BECK STAKES (Grade 3) (For 3-year-olds) R125,000 1400m:

8 GLOBAL DRUMMER (G D Smith) 57.0

2 MOUNT PLEASANT (M F De Kock) 57.0

16 AL MUTHANA (M F De Kock) 53.0

20 BACK TO BLACK (D Sham) 53.0

15 BINGWA (D Sham) 53.0

4 BOWIE (S G Tarry) 53.0

9 CATCH TWENTYTWO (P A Peter) 53.0

17 COPPER MOUNTAIN (J J van Vuuren) 53.0

21 ELIUD (C Dawson) 53.0

7 FOREIGN FIELD (P F Matchett) 53.0

14 FOREVER MINE (M F De Kock) 53.0

13 FUNKY MUSIC (A B Fortune) 53.0

5 GOLD SEASON (A B Fortune) 53.0

12 MALMOOS (M F De Kock) 53.0

3 NAFOORAH (M F De Kock) 53.0

1 PROCRASTINATOR (P F Matchett) 53.0

6 PURPLE PANTHER (C Binda) 53.0

10 RAMCHANDANI ROAD (C Binda) 53.0

19 TAKE ON ME (P A Peter) 53.0

18 WILLOW EXPRESS (S G Tarry) 53.0

11 WINTER STORIES (W H Marwing) 53.0

 

HSH PRINCESS CHARLENE STARLING STAKES (Grade 3) (For 3-year-old Fillies) R100,000 1400m:

14 SENTBYDESTINY (C Dawson) 57.0

23 ECSTATIC GREEN (S G Tarry) 56.0

25 ULULATE (S J Gray) 56.0

19 ASTRAL PLANE (G M Alexander) 54.0

16 CARALLUMA (S G Tarry) 54.0

6 DUE DILIGENCE (M F De Kock) 54.0

4 ELUSIVE WOMAN (A B Fortune) 54.0

8 GEE FOR GO (P F Matchett) 54.0

24 KEEP THE LIGHTS ON (S J Snaith) 54.0

9 LA LUVIA (S G Tarry) 54.0

21 LAETITIA’S ANGEL (A B Fortune) 54.0

1 LOUIS GEM (M F De Kock) 54.0

10 MISS ELEGANCE (M N Houdalakis) 54.0

7 NETTA (C Spies) 54.0

13 ONLY THE BRAVE (P F Matchett) 54.0

2 RISE AS ONE (J J van Vuuren) 54.0

22 SHEZAGLO (A B Fortune) 54.0

5 SOUTHERN CHARM (M F De Kock) 54.0

18 SWEET AND SPICY (S T Pettigrew) 54.0

20 TANZANITE QUEEN (A G Laird) 54.0

15 THE VILLA GRAND (P F Matchett) 54.0

11 THUMBS UP (J J van Vuuren) 54.0

12 TOTO (M/A Azzie) 54.0

3 UN DEUX TROIS (A B Fortune) 54.0

17 WINE TASTING (P A Peter) 54.0

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