Champions Day in Jozi lived up to its billing with a number of stellar performances being recorded. Abashiri (speed score 103) made it a sweep of the Triple Crown when labouring to victory in the SA Derby at Turffontein. The high class bay made his usual early move to seize control, but then had to rally to beat off Rocketball (s/s 103) and Samurai Blade (s/s 102) when it got tight near the end of a tiring 2400m schlepp. It takes a special horse to reel off three big efforts in a short space of time, which is why Triple Crown bids in different parts of the world prove so difficult to complete. Predictably, Abashiri declined from his previous best figure of 109 earned in the Classic, but he was still good enough to sneak home.
Legal Eagle (s/s 112) won the Grade 1 Champions Challenge with a tremendous display under Anton Marcus. He quickened up down the inside rail to now go 7 wins from 12 starts and is a genuinely top class racehorse. On what turned out a brilliant day for the Sean Tarry stable, Legal Eagle’s acceleration proved too much for stable mate French Navy (s/s 109) who nevertheless returned to best when staying on doggedly for second ahead of very good three year old Brazuca (s/s 109.)
Tarry had earlier won with the SA Nursery with the enigmatic Cloth of Cloud (s/s 95 ) who overhauled Rivarine (s/s 93) in the final stages. Stable star sprinter Carry On Alice (s/s 110) then obliterated foes in the Computaform Sprint, only an improving Talktothestars (s/s 107) getting within spitting distance of the outstanding filly.
Finally, the performance under lights of long-shot Joan Ranger (s/s 105) is worthy of mention. In a significantly quicker time than either Nursery were completed, she stormed clear in the Camellia Stakes to spring a rare upset on a day when favourites arrived just as the masses expected. Kilauea (s/s 101) ran a fine race in second – given that it was only her fifth start, she appears to have a bright future.