De Kock and Delpech had two Gr 1 wins, two Gr 1 runner up finishes and a Gr 2 win, while Delpech also rode the winner of the first race for trainer Joey Soma.
Earlier the Sean Tarry-trained Siren’s Call was only just denied Triple Tiara glory by the De Kock-trained Pine Princess. However, losing a shoe at the start might have ultimately cost Siren’s Call the sort after crown. Tarry had consolation later when his unexposed colt Legal Eagle won the Gr 1 R2 million SA Derby under a perfectly judged ride by Anton Marcus. Tarry now has one hand firmly on his first National Champion Trainer’s trophy.
Fayd’Herbe made a winning move in the Champions Challenge by bringing the five-year-old former SA Derby winner Wylie Hall, who had sat in about sixth place, to the outside in the straight. Majmu, who entered the straight slightly ahead of him began labouring down the middle of the track on the inside of horses. Wyle Hall kept going in the manner of a class horse to win by 1,25 lengths.
The robust three-year-old filly Majmu, considering that at one stage she looked to be going out the back door, showed her class and courage by fighting on for a 1,25 length second, No Worries was handy throughout and stayed on well for third ahead of Halve The Deficit and Unparalleled. Both Wylie Hall and the runner up are by top Australian sire Redoute’s Choice. Mike de Kock had said after Majmu’s Gr 1 Empress Club Stakes earlier this month win that the popular grey filly still had some way to go to prove herself as good as the best filly he had ever trained Ipi Tombe and this defeat will now make that task even harder.
Earlier in the Gr 1 R1 million Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks Siren’s Call was stubborn after losing a shoe and expended valuable energy before being reshod. She moved up very well from behind and appeared to have it won when going half-a-length clear of Pine Princess, but she then hung in at the same time that Pine Princess fought back and she was snared on the line. The KZN raider Patchit Up Baby ran on well for third ahead of Bilateral and Withbatedbreath. Pine Princess, by Captain Al, was bred by Highlands Farms Stud and is owned by Maine Chance Farms Stud in partnership with Mrs John Magnier and Mrs Paul Shanahan.
In the SA Derby the De Kock-trained Investec Cape Derby winner Ertijaal remained favourite despite the soft ground appearing to have gone against him. It was the unexposed and widely drawn Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm-bred gelding Legal Eagle who finished strongly from behind to catch the resolute stayer, the Mike Azzie-trained Gr 1 SA Classic third-placed Deputy Jud. The SA Classic winner French Navy, who was more fancied than his Tarry-trained stablemate Legal Eagle, stayed on well for third while Ertijaal, who had moved up well, faded into fourth. Legal Eagle’s sire Grey’s Inn was also a winner of the SA Derby.
The Gr 1 Computaform Sprint over 1000m was a thriller fought out by two three-year-old fillies but it was another victory for De Kock and Delpech and the Cape Flying Championship winner Alboran Sea proved herself the best sprinter in the land. She and the Tarry-trained Carry On Alice were prominent throughout from their favourable high draws before drawing away and Alboran Sea was able to produce extra late to win by 0,7 lengths. The Dennis Drier-trained favourite Captain Of All was well beaten in third. The time of 55,59 seconds was only 0,63 seconds outside the course record, an incredible feat considering the soft going.
Delpech started the meeting in fine style by winning the first race. a MR 100 Handicap over 1600m, from the front on the Joey Soma-trained Rushmore River . The top KZN-based jockey then followed up by winning the Gr 2 SA Fillies Nursery over 1160m on the Mike de Kock-trained Entisaar. It was the second year in succession that De Kock had won the Fillies Nursery with a Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum-owned Australian-bred filly, having done so with Majmu last year.
A measure of Entisaar’s class was that she did it from a low draw of 3, which appeared on the day to be the unfavourable side of the track in races down the straight, although it has to be said that this was not a vintage field. Entisaar was not very well away for the second time in succession but was soon up with the pace, before forging clear to beat the well supported Mike Azzie-trained outsider Frosted Honey by 2,5 lengths. The 16/10 favourite Vurumba finished third.
Apprentice Craig Zackey won the first Gr 1 of his career when getting up on the speedy Dominic Zackey-trained Black Minnaloushe colt Arabian Beat to win the SA Nursery from the only filly in the race, the De Kock-trained Shaama, who is also an Australian-bred owned by Sheik Hamdan. Both horses had high draws and were both prominent throughout. Arabian Beat won by a length and Zackey stood up in the saddle to celebrate. The rank outsider from the Vaughan Marshall yard Mystical Twilight finished a further 4,6 lengths back in third ahead of 7/2 bookmakers favourite Redcarpet Style. The Tote favourite Isca finished sixth from a low draw, beaten 11,5 lengths. The result put the cherry on the top of a fine week for Arabian Beat’s breeders Ascot Stud, who had the second highest priced lot at the National Yearling Sales, a Dynasty filly from the same family as Arabian Beat who went for R4,25 million.
Tarry and S’Manga Khumalo won two Gr 2s on the card together, the Gr 2 Gerald Rosenberg Stakes over 2000m and the Gr 2 Camellia Stakes over 1160m with three-year-old fillies Tamaanee and Bichette respectively.
In the last race of the day the talented young Craig Zackey crowned a memorable day by winning the Gr 2 Gold Bowl over 3200m on the rank outsider, the Stuart Pettigrew-trained J’s Outsider, who was 1,5kg under sufferance.
