PINE PRINCESS (yellow silks, headline photo) landed the Gr3 Racing Association Yellowwood Handicap over 1800m at the season’s first night meeting held at Turffontein, Tuesday.

The three-year-old filly by Captain Al completed a treble for Mike de Kock and Anthony Delpech, who had also won Race 1 over 1160m with newcomer Mutamakkin (AUS) and Race 4 over 1000m with another Australian-bred, Alboran Sea.

A close win for Pine Princess, the middle head of three almost in line at the winning post. (JC Photos).

Gr1-placed last season, CTS graduate Pine Princess came off a three-month break for her Yellowwood win and Mike commented:  “She’s always shown herself to be courageous and she did very well tonight to beat some older, hard-knocking fillies and mares after her rest.

“Pine Princess sprinted and raced up to a mile in Durban last season, she’s wanted more ground all along and she will improve more now. She has four wins from seven starts for her owners Dr Andreas Jacobs of Maine Chance Farms and the Magnier and Shanahan families from Ireland.

“It’s very rewarding to win for high-profile owners like these and well done to them, it’s an honour. Their participation shows the value they place on the South African industry. The more quality owners we can find overseas, the better.”

Mutamakkin, watch over more ground.

Sheik Hamdan of Dubai is another patron from global racing’s upper echelon and his own investments in SA racing continues to pay off.  Three-year-old colt Mutamakkin beat Graduation Day by a whisker to win his debut (the third horse was six lengths away) and Mike was impressed, saying: “Mutamakkin needs more ground, he’s a scopy son of Redoute’s Choice and he will come into his own over further, he showed his ability winning this 1160m dash.”

Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship winner Alboran Sea clocked 55,84s over 1000m on her own return to racing after finishing midfield in July’s Thekwini Stakes over 1600m in which she started favourite.

Mike commented: “We noted last season that Alboran Sea would be stretched over a mile but she has so much ability we had to try her over 1600m in the Thekwini.  She’s very fast, she showed again that she likes to race down the straight and we’ll follow her, we’ll keep her sprinting for now, perhaps take her to Cape Town for a feature sprint or two.”

Alboran Sea, by Rock Of Gibraltar, is owned by the partnership of Mary Slack and Michael Javett.

 Alboran Sea, sprinting is her game!