Tarry Has Short Term And Long Term Plans
Sean Tarry is looking forward to a new chapter in his career and the five times national champion trainer is still hungry for more Grade 1 success.
Beautiful Song Written For Cape Racing
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.
Oh Susanna Ladies International – Ladies Race For Hollywoodbets Kenilworth
Cape Racing
Anfields Rocket Impresses before Cool Keagan Steers Home The “Certainty”
On paper the Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained Kalahari Blue (Querari) looked a certainty in the last race at Turffontein Inside yesterday (Tuesday).
In his previous race in a Graduation Plate he had finished 1,30 lengths behind Grade 1 winner Thunderstruck and a head behind the classy Prophet.
He had received just 3kg from them and they are rated 114 and 106 respectively.
He was calculated to have run to a 100 merit rating and yet remained on an official 77, meaning he was 11,5kg well in yesterday.
Racing is littered with examples of horses who have apparently run well in small field plate races, but then failed to deliver in a subsequent handicap.
This might be because top horses use those plate races merely as stepping stones.
In fact, in yesterday’s seventh race, Ridgerunner (Canford Cliffs) finished a well beaten 6,50 length sixth.
He had also run in the aforementioned Graduation Plate and finished a 1,90 length fourth, 0,60 lengths behind Kalahari Blue.
He ran off a 98 rating yesterday in a MR 92 Handicap over the same course and distance as that Graduation Plate and had no excuses.
The Grant Maroun-trained Anfields Rockets (Coup De Grace) powered home in that MR 92 Handicap under Kaidan Brewer to make it three wins on the trot.
Maroun is reportedly calling him the best he has ever trained.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH ANFIELD ROCKET’S IMPRESSIVE WIN
However, Ridgerunner’s effort sent out a few alarm bells for Kalahari Blue supporters, and the latter duly drifted out to even money.
Keagan de Melo was always going to be a big plus factor and he once again produced the goods.
Kalahari Blue jumped very well from pole position, but De Melo was happy to keep him relaxed and he ended up in the box seat.
There was only panic in the stands when he found himself stuck behind two horses for the majority of the straight. De Melo remainded as cool as a cucumber.
When he eventually got him out for a clear run, Kalahari Blue responded well and stretched past the well-backed second favourite Power Ranger to win by 1,40 lengths carrying just 52.5kg.
It will be interesting to see what the handicappers do, but in these cases they usually find a way to justify a big merit rating.
Clifton Stud In The Winter
Clifton Stud, who produced Durban July winner and Horse Of The Year Classic Flag among others, always punch above their weight and last season had 23 individual winners of 37 races.
Originally in Ermelo and now in Rosetta in the KZN Midlands, the above picture taken during the winter shows one reason why the Peter and Jenny Blyth-owned Clifton has developed a reputation for developing sound and reliable value-for-money horses.
They had a winner today with the Billy Ruiters-trained Tried And True (Crusade), who got home easily in a Maiden Handicap over 1400m, despite being caught wide in the running under Muzi Yeni.
Gavin van Zyl String Arrives At Newly Renovated Milnerton Raider Barn
Summerveld trainer Gavin van Zyl has arrived in Cape Town with a string of Cape Summer Season campaigners.
He and his owners are taking advantage of the incentives and support instituted by Cape Racing.
The pictures above and below give an indication of the standard of stabling the raiding strings will be provided with at the Milnerton Training Centre.
Roy Magner Double
Roy Magner was the only double scorer at Turffontein Inside’s meeting today.
Magner has had four winners this season at a strike rate of 8.89%.
Today’s Question
The start of the National Hunt jumps season (October 7), is always looked forward to in Britain and Ireland at this time of year.
Who is the only horse in history to win both the Champion Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup?
Picture: Jonjo O’Neill, today a trainer, rode the subject in both the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup victories (Racing And Sports).
Hollywoodbets Greyville Poly Wednesday Fields
Today’s Question Answer
Dawn Run (1978–1986) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse (Deep Run – Twilight Slave) who was the most successful racemare in the history of National Hunt racing.
She won the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 1984 and the Cheltenham Gold Cup over fences at the festival in 1986.
Dawn Run was the only racehorse ever to complete the Champion Hurdle – Gold Cup double.
She was only the second mare to win the Champion Hurdle (and one of only four to win it in total), and one of only four who have won the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
She was the only horse ever to complete the English, Irish and French Champion Hurdle treble.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH DAWN RUN’S COURAGEOUS GOLD CUP WIN
She was trained by Paddy Mullins, the father of Willie Mullins, who is the most successful Cheltenham Festival trainer in history with 88 winners.
She was ridden in both her Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup wins by Jonjo O’Neil, who has also trained 26 Cheltenham Festival Winners, including the Gold Cup.
Dawn Run was hugely mourned after an untimely passing at the age of eight after a fall in a race in France.
