SUNSHINE COAST NEWSPAPER COLUMN: TARZAN TO COME OUT SWINGING. CHASES HIS FIFTH SUCCESSIVE VICTORY

By Graham Potter | Saturday, November 16, 2019

Graham Potter writes a weekly column for the Sunshine Coast daily. Due to demand from those having trouble accessing the paper these columns are now also published on HRO courtesy of the Sunshine Coast daily.

Getting the best out of any horse … whatever level that might be … is all that a trainer and connections can hope for and in the case of the Sunshine Coast based galloper Tarzan, it can be argued that is exactly what ace trainer Stuart Kendrick has achieved.

Tarzan will be looking for his fifth win in a row when he runs in the seventh race at his home track at the Sunshine Coast this weekend and the free-running son of Drumbeats has plenty of credentials to suggest he is up for the challenge.

While his strong, on pace racing pattern seldom varies, his versatility beyond that is unquestioned.

Tarzan’s current four-win sequence has produced wins over 1000m and 1200m on good, soft and heavy going at three different tracks (Sunshine Coast, Doomben and Eagle Farm) and boy does he carry weight well, last time lumping 61.5kg to victory.

On that day he gave the very smart Meet Mr Taylor 5kg at the weights and prevailed by a very narrow margin.

These two runners meet again this weekend with Meet Mr Taylor marked up as favourite ahead of Tarzan in spite of the fact that this time, at set weights, Tarzan is actually 3kg better off at the weights with Meet Mr Taylor than when they last met. Go figure!

As a seven-year-old with fifteen wins from thirty-six starts and with just over $500 000 banked in stake earnings, you wouldn’t exactly call Tarzan a rising star but the fact is his profile has grown significantly in recent times courtesy of his unbeaten run which dates back to June 9 … and remember this is a horse that Kendrick had to manage through several physical issues, a fact which adds further merit to their achievements.

The Magic Millions Carnival has already been pencilled in by Kendrick as Tarzan’s big summer assignment … but it will be a case of first things first when Tarzan steps out this weekend looking to extend his already impressive winning sequence.

There’s nothing quite like having a local hero to support and there is no doubt that there will be local support aplenty for Tarzan at Corbould Park this weekend.

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THE FINAL WORD: I would imagine that unless you are standing in front of a sixty foot wall of fire that is bearing down on you and your property at a rate of knots, with all of its associated deafening noise and intense heat, you will never quite know the version of hell suffered by those who experienced first-hand the terror of the devastating firestorms in recent weeks.

From the resilience of ordinary people to the heroics of the firefighters, both professional and voluntary … to the unconditional support of those who had a hand to offer or a shelter to provide, the best traits of humanity have been reflected as brightly as the flames in the worst of circumstances.

The fine qualities of a nation stand proud!