Dave The King aims for Champions Cup repeat at Greyville
All eyes will turn to Greyville this Saturday, 27 July, as Dave The King bids to defend his crown in the G1 HKJC Champions Cup (1800m). The reigning South African Horse of the Year will attempt to deliver back-to-back victories in the feature event for the powerful father-son training partnership of Mike and Mathew de Kock.
After ending his previous campaign with two unplaced runs as favourite, Dave The King has bounced back superbly in 2025. He remains unbeaten this year and arrives at Greyville off a strong last-start win in the G1 Gold Challenge (1600m) at this very course on 7 June.
Trainer upbeat about gelding’s progress
Trainer Mathew de Kock, back in South Africa after a training stint in Australia, is optimistic about his stable star’s chances heading into Saturday’s test.
“He has come on from his last start, which is great because it was really only his second run after a rest,” said de Kock. “He seems to be peaking for this race, which is fantastic.”
Ridden again by Callan Murray, Dave The King is expected to adopt his usual free-striding racing style—using his long stride, strong cruising speed, and mid-race pressure to assert control. It’s a formula that worked in last year’s running, when he surged to the lead by the 1000m and was never headed.
De Kock wary of competitive field
Despite the field featuring just nine runners, de Kock has labelled it a tricky contest. His main concern is the Dean Kannemeyer-trained The Real Prince, who will jump from barrier one and comes in with elite form after winning the G1 Durban July (2200m) two weeks ago.
“He is obviously in good form and has beaten most of the rest before,” said de Kock. “I would probably be most worried about him from number one.”
The Real Prince, See It Again return to the fray
Kannemeyer is backing The Real Prince to continue his purple patch, stating: “This Champions Cup will be his third run post a break, and it may well be that the 1800m suits him down to the ground. We will let the others worry about us.”
Meanwhile, See It Again will return fresh after an interrupted preparation that saw him miss the Durban July due to injury. Keagan de Melo, currently based in Hong Kong, is flying in for the ride, adding further intrigue to an already deep field.
Fire Attack the only three-year-old
Fire Attack will represent the three-year-olds and carry 129lb, enjoying a 3lb weight allowance over his older rivals. The wide draw in gate eight, however, makes his task more complicated in this tactical contest.
Also featuring in the line-up is Gladatorian, who was five lengths behind The Real Prince in the Durban July but has form that suggests he could feature in the placings on his best day.
Piet Botha’s Montien brings consistency and is expected to attract each-way support at decent odds.
Back-to-back hopes ride high
Victory on Saturday would cement Dave The King’s place among the modern legends of South African racing. It would also mark his third consecutive win this year, proof that, at five, he’s still at the peak of his powers.
