With the carryover jackpot reaching a pool of nearly R4,3 million, Sean Tarry celebrated his sixteenth Hollywoodbets Scottsville Gr1 winner as the Magical Lady Syndicate’s unbeaten Mrs Geriatrix stormed to victory in the R700 000 Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship.
History shows that the 1200m sprint is a marker of future achievement and it was Tarry’s third consecutive success in the 2yo feature.
Richard Fourie glances at the crowd as Mrs Geriatrix storms home (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Relaxed in midfield as Global Thunder led the way with the favourite Winter Cloud bringing up the rear, Richard Fourie brought the WSB Gr2 SA Fillies Nursery princess Mrs Geriatrix (7-2) down the centre and she kicked clear at the 250m with the Cape-based Winter Cloud (11-10) chasing.
But it was no race as the daughter of Vercingetorix powered home to beat the Cape raider by 2,30 lengths in a time of 69,02 secs.
Lucky Houdalakis’ Elegant Ice (20-1) was well back in third, with Golden Tatjana (17-2) rounding off the quartet.
Richard Fourie, whose third winner it was on the big day, said that there was never a moment of doubt as Mrs Geriatrix turned it on in the final stages, despite looking around at her first run away from home.
Trainer Sean Tarry said the winner was a small but athletic and well-balanced individual with a classy head and great eye.
“When we bought her, the idea was for these new owners to have an early runner. I couldn’t have imagined she’d be winning a Gr1 today but that’s ultimately what we are all aiming for! Based on her last run, she had zero right to win and that made her the horse to beat today,” added the multiple champion trainer.
A 2022 National Yearling Sale graduate Mrs Geriatrix was a second Gr1 winner for Peter Blyth’s Clifton Stud. She is by Maine Chance kingpin Vercingetorix (Silvano) out of the Kahal mare Velvet Glove.
As noted previously, Mrs Geriatrix is a ringer for her relatives with a strong likeness to her dam’s star siblings, Prince Of Kahal and Fort Vogue. This is the smart family of Clifton bred Whatalady, and hails back to champions Highland Night, sire Warm White Night, Tristful, Night Watch and Prince Asad.
A winner of 4 from 4, Mrs Geriatrix took her stakes earnings to R775 000.
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