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Trainer Sean Tarry says his crack three-year-old Legal Eagle has had a “flawless” preparation of Saturday’s Durban July at Greyville.
Tarry says the SA Derby winner has not put a foot wrong since his last start win under 60.5kg in the Jubilee Handicap over 1800m at Turffontein, a win the earned the colt eight points or 4kg in the merit ratings, making him the joint highest-rated horse in the country alongside the year-older Durban July top weight Futura.
Futura, fourth in last year’s Durban July, is the top weight for the R3.5 million feature with 60kg.Because the Durban July weights were announced before the Jubilee Handicap Legal Eagle will carry the 54kg he was allotted when his merit rating was 112 and on that handicap he is the best-weighted runner in the field.
“He’s done everything asked of him, has improved in leaps and bounds,” Tarry reported.“We’ve got to get through the next week and have still got to travel to Durban, but I couldn’t be much happier with him.”
Tarry’s 2013 Durban July winner Heavy Metal followed much the same route as Legal Eagle, running second in the Jubilee Handicap that year.“The Jubilee Handicap has been good to me Durban July-wise,” Tarry said. “I’ve had three previous runners come out of the Jubilee to run good races in the Durban July.
“He has shown a liking for Turffontein and we can only hope he is effective at Greyville.””Legal Eagle and another fancied Tarry runner French Navy will travel to Durban from Randjesfontein on Thursday.
French Navy, who Tarry describes as a “war horse” and “bombproof, has also done little wrong in his lead-up to the Durban July.He won the SA Classic and finished third behind Legal Eagle in the SA Derby when he was just found out by the 2450m distance before going on to win the Daily News 2000.
This year horses get an extra week between the Daily News 2000 and the Durban July and Tarry believes the timing works well for French Navy but is worried that he to face up to the trip to Durban.Tarry is also set to saddle Halve The Deficit, Tamaanee and Gold Onyx, all of whom are already in KwaZulu-Natal, in the Durban July.
“Halve The Deficit’s preparation has been very good. He won the same Pinnacle Plate that Heavy Metal took before his Durban July win and ran a very good race behind Legislate in the Gold Challenge last time out with Futura just ahead of him at level weights,” he said.“We’re now getting 5.5kg from Futura and have Piere Strydom on him. There’s a lot in his favour and, while things need to go right, he could be the dark horse.
“Ignore Tamaanee’s run in the Woolavington 2000 because she lifted a shoe. She won the Gerald Rosenberg Stakes at Turffontein in good time before that.“Gold Onyx is a Greyville specialist. He ran well in the Queen’s Plate and the Met at Kenilworth earlier this year, so he is far from a spent force.
“In terms of prep I’m happy but there are some champions in the race – the big guns being Futura and Majmu as well as Wylie Hall - bt my top two have put their hands up in no uncertain fashion.”Trainer Justin Snaith has dismissed suggestions that the topweight Futura will have problems staying the 2200m trip under 60kg.
He said: “I have no doubts whatsoever about the horse’s stamina. Indeed if he wasn’t so good that he is in the July he would be running in the Gold Cup.”Some critics have stamina doubts about Future based on his pedigree, previous efforts and the fact that his 120 merit rating, rising from 106, has been gained in a succession of slow run races.
Snaith also has doubts about the ratings but not just the assessment of Futura.“The ratings of horses in this country are so elevated it’s frightening. The handicappers seem to think we produce champion after champion every year,” he said.
“But I don’t think Futura is the only badly handicapped horse in the race. Majmu, off 55kg and giving a Derby winner (Legal Eagle) a kilo, is a big ask.“Ïndeed it’s just as much of a big ask as Futura with 60kg.”