Gr3 Acacia Handicap winner - Europa Point
Irish-bred Europa Point has continued to improve all season and emerged from a three month lay-off on Saturday to record her first Stakes success when she won the Acacia Handicap for fillies and mares over 1600m on the Turffontein standside track. The mare is now undefeated from four starts this term after landing a trio of ordinary handicaps in October and November, writes MATTHEW LIPS.
Europa Point has been comfortably ahead of the handicappers all season and didn’t look harshly treated off a rating of 89 this time, either. She was heavily supported from an ante-post price of 16/10 to start as the 8/10 favourite in a field of ten. Hawker Hunter was the 6/1 second choice of punters ahead of Europa Point’s stable companion Checcetti (13/2) and top weight Without Malice (15/2).
Louvre quickly went out to make the running and set a nice pace ahead of Without Malice and Dream Street, with Checcetti and African Icon next in line as Europa Point and Hawker Hunter were both waited with towards the rear and Cyclone Barbara raced in last spot. Without Malice and Dream Street were both on the retreat coming to the last 300m, but Louvre was still going great guns as Europa Point began to make smooth progress wider out. It was clear more than a furlong from home that Euopa Point had the necessary momentum to go and win, and while Louvre certainly didn’t go down without a fight she was simply not able to concede the favourite 1.5 kgs as Europa Point won by 1.25 lengths going away under Anthony Delpech.
Hawker Hunter was running on stoutly at the end and finished another 1.25 lengths behind Louvre in third, with Lizzie Arden also doing her best work late to be a neck further adrift in fourth. There appeared to be no obvious excuses, though, and Europa Point was a thoroughly worthy winner.
Europa Point is bred to northern hemisphere time and will only celebrate her real fifth birthday in March. She is entitled to have improved over the past several months, and she is clearly effective over various distances as her most recent win before the Acacia Handicap came at 2000m. There are several other options for her during this Gauteng Feature season, although she’d be thrown in at the deep end if she found herself taking on the likes of Dancewiththedevil in the Gr1 Empress Club Stakes. She’d have to raise her game even further to have a winning chance there, but something like the Gr2 Gerald Rosenberg Stakes over 2000m may be a more feasible target.
None of that really matters right now, though. Mike de Kock’s mare has achieved the Black Type which will make her a precious commodity when she retires in due course to her owner Mary Slack’s Wilgerbosdrift stud, and even the rather considerable sum of 60 000 Guineas which it took to acquire Europa Point as a yearling at auction in November 2008 is looking like serious value-for-money. Europa Point is a daughter of Rock Of Gibraltar out of the American-bred Woodman mare Gorband, who is a half sister to SA stallion Kabool (the damsire of Saturday’s Gauteng Fillies Guineas winner, Go Indigo.)
Gorband is also the dam of Harbour Watch, a leading two-year-old in the UK in 2011 who won three races from three starts, including the Gr2 Richmond Stakes at Goodwood. This pedigree update alone gives a massive boost to the future stud value of Europa Point, who has won seven of only 11 career starts for R460 650 in stakes.
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Acacia Hcp (SAf-G3) (2/25)
Turffontein, South Africa, February 25, R165.000, 1600m, turf, good, 1.37.03 (CR 1.35.44).
EUROPA POINT (IRE), 54.5, ch m 5, Rock Of Gibraltar (IRE) – Gorband by Woodman. Owner Wilgerbosdrift; breeder T Molan & Westbury B’stock; trainer M F de Kock; jockey A Delpech (R103.125)
Louvre (SAF), 56.0, b f 4, Doowaley (IRE) – Prive (SAF) by Saumarez (GB)
Hawker Hunter (SAF), 55.5, ch f 4, Jet Master (SAF) – Wisp Of Light (SAF) by Into The Sun
Margins: 1¼, 1¼, nk
Also ran: Lizzie Arden (SAF) 52.5, Checcetti (SAF) 57.0, African Icon (SAF) 52.0, Without Malice (SAF) 61.5, Cyclone Barbara (SAF) 52.0, Mina Salaam (USA) 56.5, Dream Street (AUS) 52.0
