The Alyson Wright-trained four-year-old star won the Gr 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes on the last weekend of the 2012/2013 season, a feat which earned him Equus champion two-year-old colt, and yesterday’s Graduation Plate over 1200m on the turf was only his second start since.
He had showed his class in his comeback on February 18 when staying on late for a 2,25 length second over 1200m at Scottsville in a Graduation Plate, despite needing the run badly.
Kochka winning at Greyville yesterday (Nkosi Hlophe)
Yesterday, he showed all the hallmarks that have made him a champion, despite the trip being short of his best.
He was held up behind horses in the seven horse field and switched off beautifully. He had the fortitude to edge through a tight gap and then displayed his exceptional turn of foot, which he needed in order to catch the fair sort Nineteen Fourteen, who had stolen a march. At one stage it looked unlikely that he would catch the latter, but he dug down deep and won going away by 0,5 lengths.
He returned odds of 8/10.
Mgudlwa has been doing all of the work on him at Summerveld and commented on how quickly he was able to turn it on, despite being such a big horse.
Kochka would have come on further for the run and will be peaking by the Champions Season.
Earlier, the Paddy Lunn-trained Stronghold filly Supercede flew home full of running under Ian Sturgeon to win the Non-Black Type Umsinzi Handicap over 1800m on the turf, beating home the Duncan Howells-trained Roc ‘N Rose by two lengths with the Mark Dixon-trained San Trip next best. The 17/20 favourite Captain’s Daughter will probably revert to front-running tactics next time out as she failed to quickened from a handy position and only managed fifth.
Ire De Fiesta (Nkosi Hlophe)
In the first race, a Maiden Juvenile Plate for fillies and mares over 1200m on the turf, the promising new sire Visionaire had more success when the Doug Campbell-trained Lala scooted in by 4,25 lengths under Donovan Dillon, having been backed in from 25/1 to 33/10.
The 11/10 favourite, the Dennis Bosch-trained Seek The Summit, could only manage third, but Bosch was in the winner’s enclosure two races later, a Graduation Plate over 1200m on the turf, when his Western Winter filly Winter Glory ran on gallantly under Anton Marcus, despite odds of 15/2 and a merit rating of only 73.
Later, Karen and Greg Anthony had their second Greyville polytrack winner of the weekend when Var filly Ire De Fiesta easily won a fillies and mares Maiden Plate over 1400m under Stuart Randolph.
The sixth, a MR 72 Apprentice handicap over1400m, saw an exciting finish as Kilroy and Gulliver’s Travel collared the likely looking winner Aware on the line. The photo showed that the Garth Puller-trained Ravishing gelding Kilroy, who was ridden by Akshay Balloo, had just prevailed.
The seventh, a MR 70 Handicap over 1000m, was won the by the Robbie Hill-trained Tiger Ridge gelding Bengal Boy, allowing Marcus to complete a double on the day and Hill a weekend polytrack double.
The last, a maiden over 1600m, was won by the Var gelding Avaricious, which gave the Dennis Drier and Sean Cormack combination a polytrack treble for the weekend.
