Alboran Sea Gives de Kock 100 Group 1 Victories
Alboran Sea earned her second Group 1 victory and her trainer Mike de Kock’s milestone 100th when she captured the Betting World Cape Flying Championship at Kenilworth Saturday. One of only two 3-year-olds fillies in the field, the other being Carry On Alice (SAf), the favorite was away alertly after a delayed start and drafted about a length behind the front-running pair against the stands-side rail. With veteran pilot Weichong Marwing aboard, the dark bay was cut loose with two furlongs to run and quickly seized command. The Australian-bred looked to be home free, but older rival and G1SW Captain of All came charging late down the center of the course and drew even in the shadow of the wire. The two hit the line together and Alboran Sea emerged the narrow winner. “It is a great pleasure to have a Group 1 win for Mike [de Kock] and Mary Slack,” said winning jockey Weichong Marwing to Sporting Post. “We realized that there was a lot of speed in the race and we wanted to give her a chance. But things didn’t map out as we planned. Trip Tease was up front as we expected but his speed wasn’t good enough and I wasn’t as far back as I wanted. I thought Captain Of All got me on the wire.” A winner of the G1 Allan Robertson Championship at Scottsville last May after breaking her maiden at first asking, the Rosemont Stud-bred was second to Bilateral (SAf) (Lateral) in the G1 Zulu Kingdom Golden Slipper two months later and ran ninth in Greyville’s G1 Thekwini S. July 26. She made her 3-year-old debut a winning one at Turffontein, but completed the superfecta in the Pinnacle S. in November and ran second in the G2 Southern Cross S. in early December. Alboran Sea is out of the Toolighttoquit mare Lady’s Light, a half-sister to MGSW Erica’s Dream (Two’s a Plenty) and MSW Twosies Answer (Two’s a Plenty). The latter produced champion 2-year-old colt and GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Answer Lively (Lively One).
Saturday, Kenilworth, South Africa
BETTING WORLD CAPE FLYING CHAMPIONSHIP-G1, R1,000,000 (US$87,694), KEN, 1-24, 3yo/up, 5fT, 0:56.53, gd.
1–ALBORAN SEA (AUS), 119, f, 3, by Rock of Gibraltar (Ire)
1st Dam: Lady’s Light, by Toolighttoquit
2nd Dam: Lady’s Answer, by Northern Answer
3rd Dam: Sweet Lady Briar, by Round Table
(A$105,000 ‘13 INGPRE). O-Mrs M Slack & Mr M B
Javett; B-Rosemont Stud; T-Mike de Kock;
J-Weichong Marwing. R625,000. Lifetime Record:
8 starts, 4 wins, 3 places, R1,317,250. Werk Nick
Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Captain of All (SAf), 132, c, 4, Captain Al (Saf)–
Serious Side (SAf), by Fard (Ire). O-Ingrid & Markus
Jooste; B-Riverton Stud; T-Dennis Drier. R200,000.
3–Carry On Alice (SAf), 119, f, 3, Captain Al (Saf)–
Carry On Katie (SAf), by Western Winter. O-Mr C J H
van Niekerk, Dr J A Warner & Klawervlei Stud (Pty)
Ltd (Nom: Mr J P Koster); B-Klawervlei Stud; T-Sean
Tarry. R100,000.
Margins: SHD, 1HF, 3/4. Odds: 2.80, 4.50, 12.00.
Also Ran: Tevez (SAf), Trip Tease (SAf), Happy Forever (SAf), Fly By Night (SAf), Asstar (SAf), Copper Parade (SAf), Daring Dave (SAf), Castlethorpe (Aus), Normanz (SAf), Dressed In Cotton (SAf).
Click for the Racing Post result, or the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO.