Danie Toerien
Priced up at 1-4 to win the Grade 2 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks over 2450m on Saturday at Turffontein and claim the R1-million Triple Tiara bonus, every punter and his dog is expecting Rain In Holland to cross the line first.
Trainer Sean Tarry agrees she is the runner to beat. “We have a worthy favourite. She has a very good chance of winning it, but we still have to go and get the job done,” he said.
Richard Fourie, who steered her in the opening two legs of the Triple Tiara, will be back in the saddle.
“I’m very happy with her. I don’t think she could have come through the first two legs more impressively than she did,” Tarry said, referring to her victories in the Fillies Guineas over 1600m and the Fillies Classic over 1800m, where she won by 2.5-lengths and 3.25-lengths respectively.
“Everything’s on track, her work has been good, she’s in good health.”
With a Merit Rating of 118, she is also not facing the strongest of fields on Saturday, rated 13 points higher than nearest competitor Clafoutis on 105, with Eternity Ring (103) the only other challenger with a three-digit rating.
“Looking at the nominations, it doesn’t seem too tough. Hopefully she sees out the trip and hopefully everything continues to go smoothly,” said Tarry.
Of course, the only question is whether she will stay the distance.
After winning the Classic, Tarry said she could stay all day and he reiterated this again.
“I don’t see a big problem with the distance. I’ve had horses that don’t necessarily have to see out the trip, they just have to be better than the horses they are running against.
“With the three-year-olds, it doesn’t necessarily mean it (the Oaks) is a true stamina race. I don’t know if she’s a true stamina horse because she’s got too much speed, she’s got too many gears and kicks on very strongly. She’s definitely not a stayer. Will she see out the trip? I believe she will.”
Tarry is also not concerned about the pace, or lack thereof, in the running of the Oaks.
“I don’t think the pace really matters. I think she could lead, but she could also come from last. Richard would be awake to what the concerns would be for me, but it wouldn’t be about pace or where she’s positioned in the race.”
Rain In Holland was scheduled to do her final piece of hard work last week and then “just cruise into the race”.
Tarry confirmed that she will be fitted with blinkers again, as she has been for her last three outings. According to the trainer the idea of fitting her with blinkers was first uttered after Rain In Holland won the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes at Greyville as a juvenile on the last day of last season.
“She had no right to win that race,” he said. “That race was already probably the alarm bell that this filly may need blinkers.
“But having just won the Group 1 and being champion two-year-old, you definitely wouldn’t start her three-year-old career off by slapping blinkers on first run after a rest.”
Her first run as a three-year-old saw her finish third behind last season’s Triple Tiara winner War Of Athena.
“I didn’t expect her to win that first run back. I knew it was a prep run. She was only 80% ready. We did hope that she could win her next start, but she probably lost concentration in the race,” said Tarry. “We gave her the benefit of the doubt, but she confirmed that she didn’t get the job done, so we went for the blinkers.”
Despite Rain In Holland being the overwhelming favourite, Tarry reiterated that the job still has to be done.
“Every day is important, and things need to keep going right,” he said.
“To be honest, in my opinion the first leg over 1600m was always going to be the toughest leg to win of the three.
“As an event like this comes up, you tend to over scrutinize and over analyse, and look for shortcomings. But holistically, the first leg was the one I was most worried about.”
Victory in the Oaks will make her the fifth Triple Tiara winner after Igugu, Cherry On Top, Summer Pudding and War Of Athena.