MIKE de Kock won his second Gr3 Abu Dhabi Championship over 2200m on Saturday when Light The Lights, ridden by Adrie de Vries, stayed on well to beat Janszoon in a well-contested feature.

This was a third success in the UAE for Light The Lights, a South African-bred by Western Winter and Mike said: “He was  rated to win at 111,  the nearest to him was 108,  so he had a big chance racing in his class.

“Light The Lights has been a soldier to the stable and to Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum. He’s a consistent performer who has won at the Dubai Carnival though he battles at Carnival level, at level weights. The Abu Dhabi race was below Carnival level and he duly obliged.

“Adrie De Vries rode a super race, he is a very good rider and he did a lot of work for us last year so I am happy to have rewarded him with a feature winner.”

Photo by Andrew Watkins.