The imposing Dave The King after winning the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
Richard Fourie will be riding the fancied Mike de Kock-trained Dave The King in the Gr 1 HKJC Champions Cup as Muzi Yeni, who rode him to victory in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge, is staying loyal to the Nathan Kotzen-trained Royal Victory.
Dave The King has been prepared out of Summerveld and De Kock said he was “very well”.
The Champions Cup often favours the fresher horses who have avoided the Hollywoodbets Durban July and Dave The King fits that bill.
He was drawn six out of twelve in the Gold Challlenge and is drawn 12 out of the 13 entries for the Champions Cup.
However, De Kock believes the field will cut up and not be a big one, although he said he might be wrong, because as he pointed out in South Africa connections “are not scared to run at level weights against 130 rated horses.”
In any case the big Global View gelding might be better suited to a wider draw as he likes to use his massive stride and would not want to be stuck behind horses.
He won from a one out handy position in the Gold Challenge.
Since being gelded he has been more relaxed in the running and is thus not easy to catch in the straight when kicking for home and stretching that stride to its impressive full length.
Mike concluded, “It’s a tough race, it is mapping out to be one of the better races of the season.”
De Kock runs Aragosta in the Gr 3 World Pool Gold Cup over 3200m.
He said about the Rafeef gelding’s Hollywoodbets Durban July run, “He never raised a gallop. He is just a funny horse at Greyville, unfortunately. If he doesn’t get a good early position he doesn’t normally run well at Greyville, it’s not his favourite track.
The yard run the Time Thief gelding Waheed in the Gr 1 World Pool Moment Of The Day Champion Stakes over 1600m. He finished a 1,50 length third in the Listed Hollywoodbets Sharks Gatecrasher Stakes over 1400m before finishing a 4,55 length sixth in the Gr 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe over the same Hollywoodbets Greyville 1400m course and distance.
Mike said, “He wants a mile and more and he will take his chances. It will be tough to turn the tables (on the Sean Tarry-trained pair Cosmic Speed and Proceed), but it will be interesting to see how close to them he can get over a mile.”
