De Kock and Delpech Dominate Champions Day

Wylie Hall, the heartbreak horse of the 2014 Vodacom Durban July, gained his compensation when he stormed to victory in the R2 million President’s Champions Challenge at Turffontein on Saturday.

Denied victory in the country’s premier race in a hotly debated protest demotion, the Weiho Marwing-trained son of Redoute’s Choice made sure there were no arguments in this G1 contest.

Powerful ridden by Bernard Fayd’Herbe, Wylie Hall easily held off the wonder three-year-old filly Majmu from the Mike de Kock stable with outsider No Worries third.

Triple Crown winner Louis The King ran disappointingly, hitting the front with 500m to run but then fading badly to finish last.

Anthony Delpech would have been greatly disappointed that Majmu couldn’t quite pull it off against a classy colt but otherwise had a fabulous day booting home four winners – Rushmore River for trainer Joe Soma; Entisaar in the G2 Fillies Nursery for De Kock; Alboran Sea in the G1Computaform Sprint and Pine Princess in the G1 SA Oaks for De Kock.

De Kock went home with two wins, two seconds and a fourth in G1 races plus a G2 victory.

Fellow Randjesfontein conditioner Sean Tarry also collected enough prize money to virtually ensure he will be South Africa’s new champion trainer come August.

His game filly Siren’s Call was denied the Triple Tiara but he was compensated with victory in the SA Derby with Legal Eagle and in the G2 Camellia Stakes with Bichette.

Apprentice Craig Zackey also landed his first G1 in the SA Nursery with Arabian Beat and a G2 in the Gold Bowl with J’s Outsider.

Alboran Sea claimed the title as best sprinter after flashing to victory in the R1 million Computaform Sprint.

The Australian-bred filly made it two G1 titles in a row, having nailed the equally prestigious Cape Flying Championship earlier in the year.

It was an all-girl affair with the gutsy Carry On Alice pushing the winner all the way.

It was Delpech’s third victory in the Computaform – joining National Currency and Shea Shea – and the first for De Kock.

Alboran Sea has now won three G1s and a total of five victories from her nine starts with three places and R1,942,250 in stakes.

Australian bred by Rock Of Gibraltar, Alboran Sea was an A$105 000 Inglis Premier purchase.

The plan is to give her one more run in the SA Fillies Sprint and then hit the world stage.

Siren’s Call was dramatically beaten in a heartbreaking final stride by the De Kock-trained Pine Princess in the R1 million SA Oaks.

Siren’s Call went into the final leg of the Triple Tiara seeking a fairytale win after dramatic victories in the Gauteng Guineas and SA Fillies Classic.

But went pear-shaped, starting with rain in the preceding 24 hours that changed the going from good to soft. The daughter of Elusive Fort also spread a shoe and had to be reshod at the start.

Despite all the pressure at the 150m marker Siren’s Call went past Pine Princess and was being hailed the winner but in a dramatic comeback, Pine Princess rallied to win by a short head.

Trainer Dominic Zaki and Craig Zackey combined with Arabian Beat to outgun De Kock’s filly Shaama in the fight to the wire to win the R1 million SA Nursery.