Irish-bred Europa Point, makes her 5th win from 5 starts a Gr1
Europa Point must be one of the hottest properties in South African racing at present. The Irish-bred mare just gets better and better, and she scaled the highest summit of them all when she landed her first Gr 1 success in the Laurie Jaffee Empress Club Stakes over 1600m at Turffontein on Tuesday night, writes MATTHEW LIPS.
Europa Point came into the race fresh from a comfortable victory at Gr3 level over the same course-and-distance in February, but the WFA Empress Club Stakes represented a whole new test for the Irish-bred mare. Dancewiththedevil was bidding to win the race for a second year in succession and was coming here off a repeat victory in the Gr 1 Horse Chestnut Stakes over the same course-and-distance ten days earlier. She seemed to tower over her seven rivals at the weights and went off as the 5/10 favourite, with Welwitschia the 9/2 second favourite (from an ante-post call of 28/10) and Europa Point third most favoured at 13/2, after being chalked up at 8/1 in the opening market.
Hidden Beauty wasted no time in making her way to the front of the field and set a reasonable pace from End Of Season and Mina Salaam, with Welwitchia in fourth as Europa Point tracked her and Dancewiththedevil as always was held up at the tail of the field. Hidden Beauty still led coming to the last 200m, but Europa Point was making rapid headway wider out, leading 100m from home and stretching clear under Anton Marcus to beat Hidden Beauty by 3.5 lengths and no doubt earn a merit rating which truly reflects what a high class performer she has become. Happy Archer raced a little too keenly early on but stayed on to finish half-a-length behind Hidden Beauty in third, but Dancewiththedevil never looked comfortable on the quick ground and could only finish a very disappointing fourth, 4.5 lengths behind the winner. She was staying on at the death, but she is clearly at her best when there is at least some cut in the ground and she certainly didn’t encounter those conditions here.
Welwitschia weakened to finish second last and was subsequently reported to be not striding out freely. Amanee was never seen with a chance before she finished 6.75 lengths behind stable companion Europa Point in fifth and has yet to recapture the form which saw her winning a Gr 1 race on soft ground as a two-year-old at Greyville last July.
Europa Point is as versatile as she is talented, appearing just as effective over 1400m as over 2000m, and there are further attractive options for her over the next few months in Gauteng and in KZN. Whatever the future may hold, she is worth the proverbial telephone number as a broodmare prospect and it is hardly surprising that owner Mary Slack was all smiles after this. Winning trainer Mike de Kock confessed afterwards that he “was quietly confident” going into the race, and that with her pedigree she will continue to get better with age.
Europa Point is a five-year-old daughter of Rock Of Gibraltar out of the Woodman mare Gorband, and it was a big stroke of luck for Mrs Slack and her Wilgerbosdrift stud operation that Europa Point’s two year younger half brother Harbour Watch emerged as one of the best two-year-olds in the UK in 2011. Harbour Watch won three races including the Gr 2 Richmond Stakes at Glorious Goodwood from just three appearances before injury prematurely brought his juvenile career to an end. Sadly for Europa Point’s connections. Harbour Watch now seems highly unlikely to contest the forthcoming 2000 Guineas, a race for which he was second favourite, but he is expected to be back in action soon and a European Gr 1 win from him would add even more to Europa Point’s value as a broodmare.
The Empress Club Stakes marked Europa Point’s fifth win from five starts this season, and her eighth win from 12 outings in total. It is amusing to reflect that less than a year ago Europa Point won a humdrum Vaal handicap off a merit rating of 64, but she has left those days a long way behind her and she can now boast career earnings of R1 085 650.
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Empress Club S. (SAf-G1) (4/10)
Turffontein, South Africa, April 10, R1 million, 1600m, turf, good, 1.37.16 (CR 1.35.44).
EUROPA POINT (IRE), 60.0, ch m 5, Rock Of Gibraltar (IRE) – Gorband by Woodman. Owner Wilgerbosdrift Ltd; breeder T Molan & Westbury Bloodstock (IRE); trainer M F de Kock; jockey A Marcus (R625.000)
Hidden Beauty (SAF), 57.5, ch f 3, Victory Moon (SAF) – Hidcote Blue (SAF) by National Assembly (CAN)
Happy Archer (AUS), 60.0, ch f 4, Dubawi (IRE) – So Tempted (AUS) by Jeune (GB)
Margins: 3½, ½, ½
Also ran: Dancewiththedevil (SAF) 60.0, Amanee (AUS) 57.5, Mina Salaam (USA) 60.0, Welwitschia (GB) 60.0, End Of Season (SAF) 60.0
