It is all happening in Cape Racing and they now have their own special song written and sung by talented young artist Cailyn Shelby, the daughter of Cape Town racing owner Gary van den Berg.

The song was intended for the big Heritage day meeting at Hollywoodbets Durbanville, but would be relevant for the rest of the season too.  

Cailyn admits her chief inspiration to be Taylor Swift.

The beautiful racing song she has composed is duly expressive and tells a story.

Her parents own horses with Cape trainer Piet Botha, so she is familiar with racing in Cape Town, which was the inspiration for this particular song.

Listen to Cailyn’s heartwarming song below: 

Cailyn said, “I love racing, it is a fun day out and I love watching the reactions of people when they win.”

She is also a regular at track in the mornings.

One of her favourite horses at the Botha yard is Galactic Path, a giant of a horse whom she describes as a “real sweetheart who loves attention.”

However, her favourite horse in Cape Town is the Glen Kotzen-trained Han Solo, who came from last on Saturday to win the main race, the Listed Hollywoodbets Settlers Trophy, although he was unfortunately demoted to second after an objection.

Cailyn showed an aptitude for singing from the age of three, when it became clear she would never miss an opportunity to sing out loud and dance.

She later developed a passion for musical instruments and learnt to play a range of them.

Then there was voice-training lessons and it finally all came together when she attended song-writing classes. 

She then became determined to make a career of it.

Britney Spears and Michael Jackson were other inspirations when she was growing up and she said, ““I’ve been obsessed with music almost all of my life. There is nothing more fulfilling for me than seeing and hearing people sing along to a song.” 

She has produced a couple of singles to date and is working on her first album with her producer Daniel Baron.

She works well with Daniel because he understands her vision.

Most of her songs are just her and her guitar, although she also takes her keyboard and ukelele around with her and brings them in sometimes.

Non-musical buffs will be glad to hear that Cailyn herself is fascinated by the production process of a new song and how it can end up sounding so original and unique from small, experimental beginnings. 

Cailyn’s August 2021 debut single, “My Four Friends”, produced by Marc Ronin, had radio and streaming platforms pricking up their ears and paying attention to her rich lyrical delivery, coupled with equally enticingly topical melodies.  

Then last year in mid-November, in collaboration with Dean White, the single “The One (For Me)”, was equally well-received. 

In the beginning, Cailyn wrote a lot and then shared it around with people like her current publisher, and South African music legend Mynie Grové, who just so happened to live in the same street. 

They and her parents gave her the confidence to release her music. 

Covid gave her the time to work on her songs and the timing of the release of “My Four Friends” was crucial, just when lockdown was ending and people were becoming more upbeat. 

Cailyn wants her music to be fun. There are so many ways a song is realised, but for Cailyn, each track pops when it finds its groove. “If you can tap your foot to it, I’m heading in the right direction. When words and beats collide, that’s when the magic happens for me.” 

Cailyn writes in the moment, capturing what affects her. Now she’s in a place to define her persona. “I want people to pay attention to the song writing,” she explains. “Creating and hearing a song that completely sums up how you are feeling in that moment is a joy to listen to on so many levels. If I can deliver that to someone else, I have succeeded in my quest. 

“I’m nothing special,” she concludes. “I’m just a girl who sits in her room and writes songs. My wish is for people to listen, appreciate and feel something from what they’re hearing.” 

The music world is viewing her as special though.

Since her debut single interview requests have flooded in.

A new audience have been curious about this extraordinary voice.