DELPECH STRIKES GOLD FOR PUNTERS
‘It’s like winning the July’
TEAMED up with jockey Anthony Delpech again and never out of the money in five starts since joining Mike de Kock’s stable, five-year-old Wild One justified 3-1 favouritism at Greyville on Saturday with a sparkling win in the R1.25-million eLAN Property Group Gold Cup (Grade 1) over 3200m.
Briefly hurried along soon after the start by Delpech, the Mogok gelding quickly secured a handy sixth position on the inside running rail behind the leading group.
The pace was stepped up sharply 550m out and, once into the straight, Delpech set Wild One alight down the inside to chase down lightly weighted leader Savage Wind. But Wild One was quickly joined by rapidly improving Balance Sheet who loomed up on his outside. However, Wild One had enough in reserve to reel in Savage Wind 100m out and then outgun a gutsy Balance Sheet – the only three-year-old in the race – by 1.25 lengths. Ultra-consistent Gauteng raider Savage Wind stayed on well to finish only a neck behind in third and clear of Storm Warning, who came from last to snatch fourth place from under the nose of Wild Ash (15-1).
Elated that he had eventually won this marathon event for the first time, Delpech said: “I’ve had six seconds and it’s fantastic. I’ve won the July four times but this is like winning the July for me today – it was a really special win! This horse was spot on. He’s had such a superb preparation coming into this race. He’s a horse that doesn’t show too much in the morning on the track but, he himself, shows you he’s feeling very good. All I was worried about today was to have a smooth race.
“Today he was beautiful on the fence and he was switched off. The year before when I rode him (in this race) and he ran second he travelled very keenly.
Today he was switched off and I was so happy. Going through the 1200m he grabbed the bit, he said ‘I’m here, so be patient’, and I was patient on him. He is a good stayer, he is the best stayer around!”
Well pleased with his charge’s Grade 1 win, De Kock said confidently: “He’s had a helluva prep. You know, it’s very seldom a trainer goes into a big race where there is absolutely nothing that goes wrong.
The only hiccup was that the race was delayed for a week otherwise everything was absolutely spot-on with this horse. I mean, if he ran badly today, I would have left here scratching my head thinking that I had gone backwards as a trainer!”