French Navy is back on home turf!
Sean Tarry is overdue a change of luck in today’s R1 million Gr2 Charity Mile. Still on a high after his terrific training feat in Sunday’s Algoa Cup, he saddles a trio of class runners, with the talented French Navy back on his favourite hunting ground.
The Gr1 SA Classic and Gr1 Daily News 2000 winner heads the weights and comes off a 17 week break since not disgraced when slow off and baulked late in the Vodacom Durban July.
He finished only 3 lengths behind Power King there and has earned his topweight of 60kg.
Naturally his 16 draw and match fitness doubts are deterrents…
But this gelding loves Turffontein – a track that brings out his best. Regular jockey Raymond Danielson is in the irons and he will be storming at them late in the race.
Whiteline Fever – has he got it still at 7?
Tarry also runs the rather out of sorts Halve The Deficit (from a wide draw) and the ever reliable Whiteline Fever, who will be partnered by retained jockey Anton Marcus.
Whiteline Fever has walked the Charity Mile road before – he was fourth in 2013 and ran a cracking narrowly beaten second to Mujaarib in that memorable 2012 finish. Has he got what it takes at age 7?
One would be inclined to say yes, based on his enthusiastic burst to catch Ice Machine and run into third in the Gr2 Joburg Spring Challenge last time – and Marcus is always a factor.
Tarry will have plenty of looking over his shoulder at his old friend and adversary Mike de Kock
De Kock saddles our top-rated Mitraad, whose chances would have had plenty of water added with the allocation of his awful draw.
Toro Rosso – plenty in his favour
The Australian-bred son of Northern Meteor clinched a gutsy win in the Listed Secretariat Stakes in December last year and has won his subsequent two well-spaced starts impressively – albeit against lesser. He steps up to the mile for the first time.
The lightly raced Brazilian-bred Toro Rosso is a son of Elusive Quality and has proven his ability on the turf, with a cracking decent win over the Turffontein 1400m recently.
Weichong Marwing rode a great race there in the absence of Anthony Delpech, who is back in the saddle. There is plenty to like about this fellow – and from a 1 draw and with just 54.5kg on his back, he must go into all calculations.
De Kock also saddles the Galileo entire Flying The Flag, who will be having his first run in South Africa.
Flying The Flag was formerly trained by Aiden O’Brien and joined De Kock last year. The son of Galileo has raced five times for the yard and won his penultimate start over 2000m in Dubai.
His fitness is the unknown quantity.
Alec Laird saddles last year’s winner Bezanova, who is fitted with the blinkers again.
The game son of Bezrin is well drawn and only lumps a half kilo more than he did when disposing of No Worries last year.
Bezanova wins the Charity Mile in 2014
Stablemate Bouclette Top on the other hand carries 4kgs more than he did when running a 2,25 length fifth last year. His second in the recent Joburg Spring Challenge was full of merit over a trip short of his likely best.
Mike Azzie will be out to prove a point with easy Supreme Cup winner Deputy Jud.
The son of Judpot is drawn 13 but has the gate speed to overcome that hurdle. He has run decent enough races on this surface to suggest he will be in the firing line.
Justin Snaith had no luck with the draws with his two runners, Ultimate Dollar and Dynamic.
Dynamic – bad draw but Marwing rides
We welcome recently wed Piere Strydom back aboard Ultimate Dollar and Weichong Marwing pilots Dynamic. The latter looks marginally held by Mitraad on their last clash, and Ultimate Dollar was hardly disgraced in his sand prep in the Supreme Cup.
Snaith will be keen to get one on his Joburg scorecard.
It is difficult selecting the others with any confidence, but this is a handicap, and things could go awry and a longshot result is not impossible.
ML Jet came back to form with a gutsy win over the mile on the inside track recently and with 54kg to carry and a decent draw, he has to be a runner.
KZN visitor Bold Inspiration recaptured his winning form last time at Greyville on the polytrack, but is difficult to fancy at this away venue with a wide draw.
Bold Inspiration – will be at his peak
Much the same applies to Rampant Ice who comes off a 17 week break follow an unplaced run in a Listed event on July day.
He was not far behind French Navy in The Daily News, which probably suggests he could be thereabouts as a course and distance winner. His stablemate Mac De Lago has not run for 22 weeks.
Geoff Woodruff’s The Captain’s Tune found his form with a lower rated divided handicap win at his last start. His dismal performances in the Gauteng Guineas and the Derby Trial are negatives – but he does come in with a galloping weight and a decent draw.
The encouraging aspect of this race is the obvious surplus of raw and willing pace.
Fitness and draws will come into the reckoning, and we did warn that it is a handicap. On the balance of things we are plugging for the class and the improver.
French Navy is the choice to beat Toro Rosso, with the drawn in the sticks Mitraad chasing the places.
