Mj Byleveld has time to pose as Desert Swirl draws clear to win (Coastal Photos)
The Cape trainers completely dominated the Fairview Sunday programme winning seven of the nine races on the card and rubbing salt into the wound by filling the first five places in the Gr3 East Cape Derby. Despite the overwhelming plunder, the visitors were still made to feel welcome on a festive day highlighted by the Jozi boys’ infamous Prawns Festival.
Derby winning jockey MJ Byleveld probably best summed up the success of the day when he quipped in the post race interview that it was the first time in all his years of riding in the Windy City that he had encountered ‘traffic’ on arriving at the Fairview gates.
The general consensus was that over 7000 people turned up on course and there is no doubt that the ‘ocean basket effect’ works wonders. Offer great prawns at good prices and the people shall come racing!
It works at Turffontein, it worked a charm on the Lektron Day at Kenilworth in February and it worked again in PE.
The R350 000 Gr3 East Cape Derby is a race that has been dominated by the visitors over the years and the theme was maintained again as Vaughan Marsall produced the Second Empire gelding Desert Swirl in fine trim to win his biggest career prize for a bunch of elated owners.
Trained the winner. Vaughan Marshall enjoying a great season.
For Marshall, who was winning the race for the second time in three years, the cherry on the top was the fact that he also bred the winner.
The 3yo who has now won 3 of his 11 starts with 4 places and took his earnings to R326 850, was relaxed early on but moved up to Glenton in the straight and simply outstayed the Snaith runner.
Desert Swirl ran on strongly to beat Glenton by 2,25 lengths in a time of 153,63 secs.
Glen Kotzen’s gallant Judpot filly Skysign was always in the firing line and stayed on to finish third, but seven lengths back.
The rest were outclassed and didn’t matter.
Jockey MJ Byleveld rode a finely judged race and joked that he was worried about ‘Justin’s relay team turning it into a sprint for us’.
This was in a reference to the Snaith’s potential tactical dominance with five horses in the race.
“I know this horse can stay all day, so I took the fight to them. He is very immature and it was a good decision by Mr Marshall to stay at home rather than go to KZN,” he said.
Trainer Vaughan Marshall said that the race had been a target since October last year and that the plan had ‘come together’. He added that Desert Swirl was a really nice stayer and that he was sure he would win more races.
He had plans to go for the Winter Derby.
A merry band of owners congregated for the photograph and Chris Brothers said that he had come ‘all the way from England’.
“We are amateurs and we paid no money for this lovely horse. It’s our first big win and we are thrilled. Well done to our trainer and jockey,” he enthused.
Last season’s recordbreaker Justin Snaith trained five of the nine winners on the programme, with Richard Fourie riding a quartet of winners. Snaith has surpassed the 150 winners mark and looks set to break all records again this year.
