Candice Bass-Robinson has quickly found the raid-and-run winning recipe required for the Port Elizabeth smash ‘n grab and the Milnerton lady trainer celebrated a 100% win strike double at Fairview on Friday, which included an impressive feature winner.
With the Cape programme on the shallow side in the month of March, Mrs Bass-Robinson has packed an overnight bag and made a plan – together with her colleagues Justin Snaith and Vaughan Marshall, who enjoyed a winner apiece on an afternoon disrupted early by a jockey protest.
Candice Bass-Robinson saddled a terrific away double on Friday (Pic – Chase Liebenberg Photography)
Following the running of the first of nine races, the riders lodged a protest about patches on the outside of the turf track between the 800m and 400m posts.
It was decided to move the false rail inwards and racing went ahead, slightly delayed.
So all’s well that ends well, and, but for a host of scratchings that decimated the last race as jockeys raced to catch flights, things went much according to plan – particularly for the Capetonians, with Aldo Domeyer riding four winners.
The feature on the afternoon was the R150 000 Listed Ibhayi Stakes run over the 1400m.
After The Highway Man, All The Sevens and Falcon Rock had made the early pace, the Snaith’s lightly raced favourite Trip To The Sky slipped through on the inside rail looking very dangerous.
But after a brief duel, Fabian scythed through the middle and went on powerfully to make it a Cape exacta, winning by 1,50 lengths in a time of 84,45 secs.
Aldo Domeyer gears Fabian down for an impressive win (Pic – Pauline Herman Photography)
The gallant filly March Music was not disgraced in third, with George Uren’s maiden Little Drummer Boy showing well to run into fourth.
The Lammerskraal bred Fabian made it a double for the Bass Equus Champion Sprinter and now Drakenstein based sire, What A Winter (Western Winter).
The winner is a first foal for the Parade Leader one-time winner, Furina.
With 2 wins and 3 places from 8 starts for stakes of R188 725, Fabian, a R500 000 National Yearling Sale graduate, looks well set to go on and win his races.
The second leg of the East Cape Poly Challenge is the R150 000 Listed East Cape Guineas run on 29 March.
The series winds up with the running of the R350 000 Listed East Cape Derby on Saturday 11 May. A R250 000 bonus is payable to the owner who wins all three legs.
