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Trainer Sean Tarry has pulled Legal Eagle out of the field for the R1 million Rising Sun Gold Challenge at Greyville on Saturday but still has the two highest-rated runners among his remaining trio.

Tarry said it was a “team decision” to scratch Legal Eagle due to nothing more than the horse’s poor draw.

However, he said the decision to run him in Durban July might ultimately depend on the weights.

Owner Markus Jooste’s racing manager Derek Brugman will likely have the final say.

Tarry is coming off a tough week as he was concerned about a potential bacterial infection in his Randjesfontein stable.

Tarry said it was impossible to tell with certainty which horses had been affected but every declared runner is being tested before their respective races.

French Navy, Trip To Heaven and Prospect Strike take their places for Tarry in the Rising Sun Gold Challenge.

“It is a preparation run for French Navy, we freshened him up after the Champions Challenge and the mile at Greyville is a touch sharp for him, but he will be running on strongly,” Tarry said.

“Trip To Heaven has put up a good gallop. It all depends on the break as he is a funny horse at the start, but if he breaks well he will lead.

“Prospect Strike’s runs in the Canon Guineas and Daily News 2000 were both good ones from poor draws. Now he gets a reasonable draw and is fit and well, so we will take our chances.”

With the 1600m G1 race run under weight-for-age conditions, French Navy is the best handicapped runner and will be the mount of Weichong Marwing.

Marwing took the ride for the first time aboard the son of Count Dubois in the R4 million Premier’s Champions Challenge over 2000m at Turffontein in April and finished second behind Legal Eagle at level weights.

He will have to overcome barrier 10 but Marwing will probably drop out and come from off the pace on last year’s Daily News 2000 winner.

S’manga Khumalo will take the ride on Trip To Heaven who will be having his first attempt at 1600m.

The son of Trippi won the G2 Joburg Spring Challenge over 1450m on the Turffontein Inside track so he could prove effective over the distance despite a new habit of losing ground at the start.

He was gelded recently and hopefully that will have sorted out any behavioural issues.

Prospect Strike could be the surprise package. He ran well from shocking draws in both the Guineas over 1600m and the Daily News over 2000m and this time he has a plum draw in gate five.

Tarry has given the ride to Anthony Delpech who is probably the most prolific jockey in KZN right now.

This will be the last weekend runners will get a chance to qualify for the Vodacom Durban July.

Other than the Gold Challenge trainers will use the G3 Cup Trial over 1800m and the G2 Tibouchina Stakes for fillies and mares over 1400m, both run at Greyville, and the G3 Jubilee Handicap over 1800m at Turffontein on Sunday to raise the profile of their runners.