Special bit turns ‘parrot-mouth’ Vardy into a winner
Cape-based Marcus has a stunning horse on his hands in three-year-old gelding Vardy who, like his namesake (Jamie Vardy) of English football club Leicester, runs fast and scores impressively.
Adam Marcus, whose father Basil was one of SA’s best jockeys and landed the Hong Kong championship several times, is making his mark as a trainer. Cape-based Marcus has a stunning horse on his hands in three-year-old gelding Vardy who, like his namesake (Jamie Vardy) of Leicester football club, runs fast and scores impressively. Vardy took on his traditional rival One Word in Saturday’s grade3 Winter Classic at Kenilworth and gave him a proper hiding in their first meeting over 1,800m, and Marcus attributed his runner’s improvement to the fitting of a special, imported bit. He said: “Vardy has a so-called parrot-mouth, a big overbite and his jaws don’t line up which makes it hard to find a suitable bit for him. He also has a fleshy palate, so I’ve had to experiment with different types of bits. “I did some research and came across a bit manufactured in Italy and often used in equestrian sports but not in racing. I was lucky to get my hands on this bit in a speciality shop in Cape T...
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