Reigning SA Horse Of The Year Dave The King became the third back-to-back winner this century of the Hollywoodbets Gr1 Gold Challenge when he dug deep to win the 54th renewal of South Africa’s highest-rated Grade 1 contest at a festive Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday.
Callan Murray glances across as Dave The King beats Oriental Charm (JP van der Merwe), with Gladatorian’s head in the frame (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Run for the first time under the lights, and sponsored for the fifth year by Hollywoodbets, the 2025 running of the prestige weight-for-age mile produced a grandstand finish with Dave The King (9-4) slipping through down the inside to get the better of long-time pacemaker Oriental Charm (14-1), who ran a cracker after a long break, by 0,20 lengths in a time of 96,44 secs for the 1600m.
After the 2024 defending champion Oriental Charm, the second of the quartet of Hollywoodbets Durban July entries to finish, Drill Hall Stakes winner Gladatorian (14-1) powered up the middle to get the better of the courageous 3yo Cosmic Speed (7-2) for third.
Only 0,85 lengths covered the first four home.
Hollywoodbets Durban July entry See It Again was hampered early in the stretch and ran a good race in the circumstances, when finishing fifth and 4,45 lengths back.
The fourth of the July entries, Purple Pitcher finished downfield and some 7,60 lengths back.
Winning rider Callan Murray, who grabbed a Gr1 winner at Hollywoodbets Scottsville a week earlier for Sean Tarry, said that it was ‘very special’ to get a Gr1 for Mat and Mike de Kock.
“It’s been hard for the past few years,” added the SAJA graduate who recently returned from a stint in Australia.
On the podium – Hollywood Racing’s Devin Heffer and Callan Murray (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Mathew de Kock, who trains the winner in partnership with his Dad, said he was privileged to take out his licence and enjoy his first Grade 1 winner with a horse and owners like the Dave The King team.
Dave The King joins two former SA Horses Of The Year in Rainbow Bridge (2020/2021) and Variety Club (2012/2013) as back-to-back winners of a race that started out at the now defunct Clairwood on 1972 when run as the Clairwood Champion Stakes.
Coincidentally, the first two runnings were won by champion sprinter of the time, Sentinel, who was ridden by the evergreen Michael Roberts, who also saddled Saturday’s fifth-placed, See It Again.
A R175 000 Cape Premier Yearling Sale purchase, Dave The King, a son of Global View (Galileo) out of the once winning Jet Master mare Touche, started his career with Vaughan Marshall in the Cape, before transferring to Mike de Kock early in 2023.
Bred by Gary Player, who races him in partnership with Larry Nestadt and Ralphs Racing, he is now a winner of 8 races with 8 places from 25 starts for stakes of R5 782 394.
What a grand story of a comeback from nowhere for a horse who loves the KZN coast almost as much as Mike Kock.
Now for the Gr1 Champions Cup double at the end of the season!
