South Africa: Heavy Metal grabs victory late in Durban July

Heavy Metal (near side) wins the Grade 1 Durban July at Greyville

? PICTURE: goldcircle.co.za ?

?By?Michael Clower 5:34PM 6 JUL 2013?

Report: South Africa,?Saturday??

Greyville: The Vodacom Durban July 2000 (Grade 1 h'cap)?1m 3f, turf, 3yo+

SEAN TARRY and owner Chris van Niekerk won South Africa's biggest race for the second successive year when 16-1 chance Heavy Metal wore down Run For It close home to score by a quarter of a length.

The winner, a son of Arlington Million hero Silvano, is trained at Randjesfontein in Johannesburg and arrived in Durban only 30 hours before the race.

Tarry said: "He is comfortable on the Polytrack up there and I didn't want to take any risks bringing him here."

Tarry, who now looks like becoming champion trainer for the first time, is half-considering an overseas campaign despite the present difficulties in exporting horses from South Africa.

He said: "He may go, he may not. He is tailor-made for Hong Kong in December but there is no way we are going to be able to get him there by then.

"Also we shouldn't turn our backs on what is on offer here. Pomodoro (last year's Durban July winner but only 13^th?here) is my trump card for the J & B Met. You can put a line through today so far as he is concerned. He had to race three wide and it just wasn't his day."

This was the sixth Grade 1 win for Khumalo, 28, who did a Dettori-style flying dismount and said: "This horse surprised me today but, when I pulled him out, he knew exactly what to do and he took off."

Capetown Noir was surprisingly preferred in the market to fifth-placed Jet Explorer but the 5-1 favourite could only manage seventh.

Also?on Saturday:

Greyville: Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper (Grade 1)?7f, turf, 2yof

Tarry and Khumalo began their great day when For The Lads sprang a 40-1 shock to give her trainer his first win in this Grade 1 after hot favourite Happy Valentine's suspect stamina ran out in the final furlong.

Sean Veale rode the 23-20 shot as if she would stay all day, setting a strong gallop, but the writing was on the wall halfway up the straight and his mount faded into seventh. Khumalo, on the other hand, produced For The Lads late to beat the strong-finishing Along Came Polly (22-1) by a length.

Tarry said: "I felt she was a top filly but I was very disappointed with her last run. I couldn't find a reason for it and that knocked all my confidence. I may well run her in the Thekwini Stakes over a mile here on?July 27?and next season she will get further."

Greyville: Durban Golden Horseshoe (Grade 1)?7f, turf, 2yo

Forest Indigo (Alec Laird/Kevin Shea) finished strongly to get the best of a three-way photo and, at 29-1, become the longest-priced winner of this important test for more than ten years. He is the first Grade 1 winner from the first crop of the former Sir Henry Cecil-trained Judpot.

The well-fancied Captain Of All tried to lead throughout and looked sure to do so when he increased his advantage to three lengths just inside the last furlong. But Kevin Shea, who had been in mid-division for much of the race, delivered his mount late to shade the equally strong-finishing Kochka by a short head with Captain Of All over a length away third.

Favourite Full Combat was always struggling and could get no closer than seventh.

Laird said: "I knew he could turn the tables on Zambezi Torrent, who beat us last time because mine moved up to win but then showed he needed the run, but I didn't know about the others. He's entered for the Premiers Champion on?July 27?but I don't know whether he will run. I would hope he will be a Guineas horse next season."

Greyville: Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes (Grade 1)?1m, turf, 3yo+f/m

Beach Beauty (Dennis Drier/Sean Cormack) produced a devastating turn of foot in the final furlong to justify 15-20 favouritism and beat Mike de Kock's Espumanti by a comfortable length and a half.

This was the five-year-old's second Grade 1 win and she could stay in training for another season.

Drier said: "She is very lightly raced and greater fillies than her around the world have raced through a six-year-old career, but we will play it race by race."

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Source: http://www.racingpost.com/news/horse-racing/s-g-tarry-mr-c-j-h-van-niekerk-south-africa-heavy-metal-grabs-victory-late-in-durban-july/1312541/

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