Back In Black! Ilha Bela (Anthony Delpech) gets the better of Athina in a thriller (JC Photos)
The Wilgerbosdrift Stud silks dominated a thrilling finish to Saturday’s R175 000 Gr3 Spring Challenge run over the Turffontein 1450m inside track, as their progeny fought the feature finish out. The powerful grey Ilha Bela held the flying Athina in a gripping duel and the De Kock mare looks to be peaking at the right time for the forthcoming Summer Cup.
There is a fine line in race riding, and probably in life generally, between making a move at exactly the right moment, or going too early.
Anthony Delpech may have had the Ilha Bela backers and grandstand jockeys cursing him at the 100m marker of an exciting race. His mount was called to dig deep to withstand a storming challenge by Joey Soma’s Athina, after Delpech had seemingly been bold very early in the straight.
In the end it all worked out beautifully for the KZN jockey and his boss Mike De Kock, as well as for Mary Slack’s Wilgerbosdrift Stud.
Delpech rode a confident race on the 2012 Gr2 SA Oaks winner after positioning himself quietly in midfield for the first 800m of the contest.
Anthony Delpech. Confident ride!
He gave the grey mare her head at the 400m marker and she cruised past Fanzene, as Strydom gathered the always prominent Lady Tatty for her effort down the inside.
At the 200m marker Ilha Bela looked to be under pressure as Keagan De Melo unleashed a storming effort down the inside rail on Joey Soma’s 3yo, Athina.
In a drive to the wire the 19 to 10 favourite Ilha Bela kept on relentlessly to show her class and experience to score by a head in a time of 87,68 secs.
Athina ran a cracker in second, while Lady Tatty kept at her task to keep going nicely for third.
Ilha Bela was bred by Wilgerbosdrift and is by Fort Wood, who also sired the runner up.
Ilha Bela is the second produce of the Candy Stripes mare Ilha Da Vitoria. Her dam won ten races and became South Africa’s highest ever stakes earner in 2006. She won the Summer Cup in 2005, and Ilha Bela has a chance of following in her Mum’s footsteps.
This was Ilha Bela’s seventh win with 5 places from 21 starts and she took her earnings to R1 205 450.
Next stop the Summer Cup?
