Nicci Garner: Talented three-time winner Alboran Sea is one of the better sprinters among the three-year-old crop this season and will have many supporters in Saturday’s R1-million Betting World Cape Flying Championship (Grade 1) over 1000m.
Assistant trainer Mathew de Kock believes “she’s the one to beat in a wide-open contest”.
“She has lots in her favour under these weight-for-age conditions and I think she’s good enough to win,” he said, adding she has been “doing very well” since travelling down to Cape Town a couple of weeks ago. She is based with Brett Crawford at Phillipi.
“In fact, she’s thriving in Cape Town and is really enjoying life, especially going to the beach with Brett’s horses,” said De Kock.
This will be Highveld-based Alboran Sea’s second trip to Cape Town in less than two months because she went down in early December to line up in the Grade 2 Tony Taberer Southern Cross Stakes. The 11-10 favourite led into the headwind and although she tried hard, she just could not hold back Fly By Night (0.5kg better off and the best-weighted runner in the Cape Flying Championship field). She was beaten 0.50 lengths and they were streets ahead of the third horse, Savannah Song.
Said De Kock: “The Southern Cross Stakes just didn’t pan out for her. Weichong Marwing will be riding her slightly differently to Anthony Delpech this time – with a bit of cover! I think she’s good enough to win.”