St Tropez eases down to win the East Cape Derby (Pic: Coastal Photos)
When you’re hot, you’re hot. You can also do slightly crazy things like travel the long road from Durban, and short-cut the obvious in programming steps. And get away with it. The rampant Joey Ramsden made it another glorious feature winning weekend when his Silvano gelding St Tropez swept aside his opposition to score an impressive victory in Sunday’s R350 000 Gr3 East Cape Derby at Fairview.
Ramsden can do little wrong at the moment.
It is difficult keeping track of his feature race dominance at times and the common demoninators of the Jooste silks and Anton Marcus were present yet again on Sunday in a third province, after their feats in KZN and the Western Cape.
The ordinarily Milnerton-based St Tropez was already resident at the Ramsden Champions Season war base at Summerveld in KZN when the final decision was made to travel him to PE for the East Cape Derby.
And the step-up to an intermediate distance from his career maximum of a mile, before going straight into a 2400m test, was also sacrificed.
But all’s well that ends well and the ‘tactical’ decision to raid was a good one. Thanks to a professional team effort, that included equine haulage expert Peter Choice.
The opposition certainly looked beatable and it proved to be the case as Anton Marcus set St Tropez alight at the 300m marker and he drew off to beat Master’s Eye by 2,25 lengths in a time of 154,35 secs.
Richard Fourie rode a shrewd race on Master’s Eye as the Snaith runner tracked St Tropez the whole way. But when the launch buttons were pressed, they were worlds apart.
The Cape visitors filled the top four places, with Stan Elley-trained My World securing third, ahead of the runner-up’s stablemate Arezzo – 6,75 lengths behind the winner.
St Tropez has now won 4 of 7 starts with 2 places and R381 975 in stakes.
The Wilgerbosdrift Stud-bred gelding is a son of Silvano out of the Model Man mare, Tanover.
That makes him a full brother to the promising Dean Kannemeyer trained Tan Can, whose career was curtailed through injury – and the winner is also a half-brother to Corne Spies’ solid eight time winner Sun Screen (Rich Man’s Gold).
The winner cost R400 000 on the National Yearling Sale.
The honour roll of the local Derby has not produced any real stars over the past few years – but the classy St Tropez looks very progressive and could prove the exception to the rule.
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Gr3 East Cape Derby (SAf-Gr3)
Fairview, South Africa, May 10, R350k, 2400m, turf, good, 2.34.35
1 – ST TROPEZ (SAF), 58.0, b g 3, Silvano (GER) – Tanover (SAF) by Model Man (SAF). Owner Mrs I Jooste & Mr M J Jooste; Breeder Wilgerbosdrift; trainer J Ramsden; jockey A Marcus
2 – Master’s Eye (SAF), 58.0, b g 3, Jet Master (SAF) – Jettatura (SAF) by Al Mufti (USA)
3 – My World (SAF), 58.0, b g 3, Ideal World (USA) – Magic In The Air (IRE) by Sadler’s Wells (USA)
Margins: 2.25, 1.25, 3.25
