Tarry, Zackey star in Championships Finale
Jack Milner
The Championships Finale finally took place at Turffontein yesterday under clear blue skies and all 11 races went off like clockwork.
While many of the fancied runners did win, the meeting did bring its fair share of upsets and none more so than the defeat of Buffalo Storm Cody in the Grade 2 Senor Santa Stakes over 1160m.
Despite carrying 62kg, the Tony Peter-trained runner when off at 5-10, and as the highest rated horse in the land and the best weighted runner in the line-up, he was firmly expected to overcome his top weight.
When Richard Fourie made his move on the outside of the field it looked as Buffalo Storm Cody would sweep past the leaders and go on to win.
But a gutsy effort from Sean Tarry-trained Jerusalema Rain, a determined ride from French jockey Mickaëlle Michel and the 10kg weight difference told in the final stages. Jerusalema Rain found another gear late to win by 0.20 lengths with another Tarry-trained inmate, Cosmic Speed, just a head further back in third.
The winner, a five-year-old gelding by Captain Of All, went off at 14-1 and provided Michel with her first Graded race winner since she started her riding stint in South Africa.
“I could see the pressure from the other two horses on both sides so a tried to push him hard and he tried so hard to give it too me,” said Michel.
Tarry, as is so often the case on big race days, came away with four winners, but had his son Daniel to thank for this one. “Daniel encouraged me to buy this horse when he came up for sale and I said I wasn’t sure, because an older horse could have issues. But he said his juvenile form was too strong and you’ve got to take a chance.
“So well done Daniel for encouraging me to get this one.”
In his previous race, Jerusalema Rain ran second behind Questioning at Hollywoodbets Greyville and as Tarry said, “Questioning is a proper horse”.
“He acquitted himself really well, he was game at the finish and appeared to come back again, so at these weights we obviously had a chance.”
Tarry also won the Grade 2 TAB Igugu Stakes over 2000m with Callmegetrix, this one ridden by Craig Zackey, who also came away with four winners on the card.
After her third place behind See It Again in the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge, Roy Magner-trained Olivia’s Way looked hard to oppose in this event over the same course and distance. However, this filly can be her own worst enemy and once again, she took forever to get going, and by the time she finally took off, the race was over.
In the end, she was beaten just 1.10 lengths with Minogue a short head ahead of her in second place.
The one Grade 2 race Tarry did not win – and that was only because he didn’t have a runner – was the TAB Colorado King Stakes over 2000m.
With the scratching of Bakwena, only six runners went to post for this race and as expected there was not much pace as Atticus Finch went to the front. But in the end it was Fire Attack who came back to his best to get the better of Choisaanda late in the race and win by one length.
Trained by Alec Laird and ridden by Richard Fourie, Fire Attack went off bookmakers’ favourite at 2-1 while KwaZulu-Natal visitor Field Marshal, who finished 5th, started as the tote favourite.
Choisaanada (4-1) finished second just ahead of The Ultimate King (7-1) with Copper Eagle (16-1) in fourth. Just 1.25 lengths separated the first five past the post.
“He’s a good horse, he’s won a Group 1, so he’s proven, and it was nice to ride a horse like this,” said Fourie.