The Tarry yard enjoyed feature race success at TAB Turffontein on Saturday, when Sean saddled the smart filly Alice B Toklas to win the G3 TAB Starling Stakes over 1400m.
Making her first start since finishing fourth in last season’s G2 Douglas Whyte Thekwini Stakes, Alice B Toklas was expected to come on from Saturday’s run.
However, despite hitting the front perhaps a bit soon, the Mickaelle Michel partnered Alice B Toklas kept finding gamely to hold off last out G2 Betway Joburg Spring F And M Challenge winner Flower Island and claim her biggest win to date by half a length.
Bred by Varsfontein Stud and a half-sister to the yard’s G3 Betway Fillies Mile winner World Of Alice (who ran second in the 2024 Starling Stakes), Alice B Toklas had shown smart form at two. After winning the Listed Amusnet Devon Air Stakes impressively, the daughter of Master Of My Fate had gone on to finish a close second, to Equus Champion Palace Of Arvernia in the G2 Amusnet Golden Slipper.
Now a winner of three of seven starts, Alice B Toklas races for Dayalan Chinsammy, Mark Currie, Gerald Frank & Vendel Civils. The Starling Stakes was a great result for the Tarry stable, with Alice B Toklas’ stablemate Get Up finishing third, while conceding weight to the winner.
Unfortunately, the yard’s promising filly Within Reach had no joy in the starting stalls and was eventually declared a non-runner.
The yard also saddled Cosmic Speed to put up a mighty effort when second, under top-weight, in the G2 Allied Steelrode - Onamission Charity Mile on Saturday, with stablemate Grand Empire catching the eye when running on strongly for sixth in the same race.