A red-hot Bernard Fayd’herbe rode four winners at Kenilworth on Sunday, including a finely-judged brave escape through an almost non existent inside rail gap to give Milnerton trainer Piet Steyn a belated birthday present, courtesy of Gem King’s impressive victory in the R250 000 World Sports Betting Gr3 Variety Club Mile.
In shades of past Winter Series heroes Pocket Power and Katak, the Varsfontein-bred Gem King carried the famous Marsh Shirtliff Greenacres Trust pink, white & blue silks, as he stormed to victory in the opening leg of the WSB Cape Winter Series.
Gem King (Bernard Fayd’herbe) slips through down the rail to hold off Louis Mxothwa and Future Prince (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Whether the son of Master Of My Fate, clearly a versatile sort after his impressive 1100m prep run victory, can go on and emulate the two past Shirtliff stars beyond the 2400m of the final leg remains to be seen.
Price is no yardstick, but Gem King certainly cost more than the combined purchase prices of the dazzling duo!
A veteran of the local training ranks, Piet Steyn saddled a Gr3 Cape Nursery double at the end of February, and closed a great week after his 64th birthday celebration on Thursday, when Gem King lifted from last to first to win going away.
Steyn and Fayd’herbe also won the opener when Miss Marguerite, another Varsfontein Master Of My Fate product, charged home.
After the consistent favourite Future Prince had swept into the lead at the 300m, the race looked to be for second.
But a determined Fayd’herbe, now clearly back from the wilderness, rode for his life and squeezed through down the rail, with Gem King setting hoof on the narrow mowed strip under the rail. With on-course and television broadcast communications still in the dark ages, we do not know whether the Stipes called a race review. That will come from the official report later.
Starting at 11-2, Gem King finished full of running to beat Future Prince (18-10) by 0,40 lengths in a time of 101,15 secs.
Cape owner Marsh Shirtliff has enjoyed great success in the Cape Winter Series (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
The 40-1 longshot Chollima moved up dangerously and ran a gutsy race in third, three lengths ahead of the recently gelded Pacaya (2-1), who had nothing to come.
Bred by Varsfontein from the winner producing Damascus Gate mare Gem Queen, Gem King has won 4 races with 4 places from 11 starts for stakes of R327 600.
The gelding was a R250 000 purchase by Piet Steyn off the 2020 BSA Mistico Cape Yearling Sale.
Runner up on the South African General Sires List last season, Gem King’s sire Master Of My Fate (Jet Master) has a top-class draft on offer at this week’s National Yearling Sale.
Among his yearlings are a full-brother (Lot 61) to this season’s Listed #WomenInRacing Sophomore Sprint winner Zapatillas, a colt (Lot 172) whose Gr3 winning dam is a three-parts sister to Durban July winning champion Bold Silvano, and a filly (Lot 252) out of Gr2 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks winner Wind Chill.
The next leg of the Cape Winter Series is the R250 000 Gr3 WSB Legal Eagle Stakes to be run over 1800m at Kenilworth on Saturday 21 May.
The third leg is the R250 000 Gr3 WSB Pocket Power Stakes run over 2400m on Saturday 25 June.
A bonus of R200 000 will be paid to the connections of the horse that wins all three legs of the WSB Cape Racing Winter Series. Marsh Shirtliff has banked the cheque twice previously. He could be in for more fun as the Cape turns cold and wet.
