Hall's yard loaded with nice young prospects
David Hall has come out steaming this season, with seven winners in the opening 11 meetings, including unearthing some very nice types, and Tarrega looks a promising prospect after an encouraging debut fifth behind late-fancied stablemate Wasabisabi in the Class Four Elizabeth Arden Handicap (1,200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Tarrega was scooped up for HK$3.5 million by the successful owner Sidney Chiu at the Hong Kong International Sales in March and came into the event as a co-fifth pick in betting at 10-1 with two progressive trials.
The four-year-old copped a sharp bump from Team Work soon after a sluggish break from gate three, mustered to hold a position worst than midfield and on the fence approaching the 800m, straightened three deep, but short of room, shifted five wide off the heels of Mighty K at the 350m, had to angle seven wide to the outside of Hot Asset at the 200m and let down nicely to finish up 23/4 lengths behind stablemate Wasabisabi in fifth.
The gelding will come on for this run and will be in the market as a leading chance when next stepping out.
Tarrega hails from a superb maternal line, which reads a who's who of Southern Hemisphere racing as his second dam is a half-sister to Danewin and Commands and his unraced third dam is a sibling to standouts Octagonal, Kaapstad, Mouawad, Diamond Lover and Marquise.
His dam, Taimana was a six-times winner up to 1,200m, including the Group Two Avondale Concorde Handicap, and is a half-sister to the successful Hong Kong performers Beethoven and Berio, who were also campaigned in the easily noticeable big red star and white colours of Chiu.
The good-looking 1,138 pounder's sire is Dehere, an Eclipse Champion Two-year-old in America in 1993 and the sire of 20 winners from 33 starters in Hong Kong, chiefly sprinters, though his best local product was the middle-distance performer Ain't Here.
Tarrega has the pedigree to be something useful up to a mile and has the pedigree to handle both surfaces.
