Champion trainer Mike de Kock dominated yet another big meeting witjh five wins on Champions Day at Turffontein on Saturday including two Group One events and three of the Group 2 races.
Photo by Liesl King
Irish-bred Rock Of Gibraltar five-year-old mare Europa Point won the G1 R2 million President's Champions Challenge under Anthony Delpech to cap a wonderful day for De Kock and owner Mary Slack's Wilgerbosdrift Stud.
Slack owns Europa Point as well as three of de Kock's G2 winners on the star studded program with the other G1 winner from the stable owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum.
The five victories increased De Kock's unassailable lead at the top of the national trainer table.
Europa Point showed her fine turn of foot once again while her chief rival Dancewiththedevil battled to make up ground on the firm track, proving that the Summer Cup winner needs significant cut in the ground to produce her best.
It was left to the Tyrone Zackey-trained stablemates Galanthus and Smanjemanje to chase Europa Point home.
De Kock commented that the moderate pace suited Europa Point, who has now won six successive races since last October.
He expressed interest in an international campaign for Europe Point, export rules permitting, while Slack said she was in favour of eventually getting the mare in-foal to a top overseas stallion.
“She's almost too good for us now," Slack said.
De Kock's landslide started with Sheikh Hamdan's Soft Falling Rain winning the R500 000 G1 SA Nursery to keep intact an unbeaten record in four starts.
Wilgerbosdrift registered the first of their four Graded winners on the day when Welwitschia skated away with the R200 000 G2 Camelia Stakes, her fifth win from 11 starts.
De Kock's top 3YO filly Ilha Bela took on 12 rivals in the R750 000 G2 SA Oaks and duly delivered as Anton Marcus rode a confident race to win by an ever widening margin.
The De Kock-Wilgerbosdrift combination closed the day in style when Gorongosa won the R500 000 G2 Gold Bowl over 3200m.
Trainer Corrie Lensley gave hope to other stables when his debutante King's Temptress won the R400 000 G2 SA Fillies Nursery at odds of 150-1.
