Alboran Sea gives de Kock 100th Group 1 victory

Alboran Sea (Rock of Gibraltar) earned her second Group 1 victory and her

trainer Mike de Kock's milestone 100th when she captured the Cape Flying

Championship (SAf-G1) at Kenilworth Saturday.

One of only two three-year-olds fillies in the field, the other being Carry

On Alice (Captain Al), 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 Group 1

winner Captain of All (Captain Al) 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," Marwing told 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 (Trippi) 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 Allan Robertson Championship (SAf-G1) at Scottsville last May

after breaking her maiden at first asking, the Rosemont Stud-bred was second to

Bilateral (Lateral) in the Zulu Kingdom Golden Slipper (SAf-G1) two months later

and ran ninth in Greyville's Thekwini S. (SAf-G1) July 26. She made her

three-year-old debut a winning one at Turffontein, but completed the superfecta

in the Pinnacle S. in November and ran second in the Southern Cross S. (SAf-G2)

in early December.

Alboran Sea is out of the Toolighttoquit mare Lady's Light, a half-sister to

multiple Grade 3 winner Erica's Dream (Two's a Plenty) and multiple stakes

scorer Twosies Answer (Two's a Plenty). The latter produced 1998 Breeders' Cup

Juvenile (G1) winner and champion two-year-old male Answer Lively (Lively One).

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