Young jockey wins Gazi Derby
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hurriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 30, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Young jockey Gökhan Kocakaya rode Miramis to victory Sunday in the 83th Gazi Derby, the most important event on the Turkish horseracing calendar.
With its 750,000-Turkish Liras prize, Gazi Derby is the most lucrative race in Turkey, while its meaning goes further than money, as the race devoted to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the modern Turkish Republic, is dubbed the most prestigious one in the country as well.
Making his debut at the derby, Kocakaya became a part of Gazi history, with his victory in 2 minutes 30.33 seconds at the Veliefendi Hippodrome in Istanbul. After the race, many reports drew similarities between Kocakaya and three-time winner Halis Karataş. Karataş, one of the most prominent riders of the country, also holds the track record with Bold Pilot, which won the 1996 Gazi Derby in 2:26.22.
On Sunday, Kocakaya and Miramis were trailed by Çakılhan, with its jockey Turgay Alıcı, who finished in 2:30.54. Italian Lanfranco "Frankie" Dettori, dubbed the best thoroughbred jockey in the world, finished third with Chi, in 2:30.78.
The race was watched by 15,000 spectators, while a total of 8.5 million liras were collected in race bets.
That was the third time Dettori raced at Veliefendi, where he competed at the International Boğaziçi and Topkapı races in 2008.
Making his debut at the derby, Kocakaya became a part of Gazi history, with his victory in 2 minutes 30.33 seconds at the Veliefendi Hippodrome in Istanbul. After the race, many reports drew similarities between Kocakaya and three-time winner Halis Karataş. Karataş, one of the most prominent riders of the country, also holds the track record with Bold Pilot, which won the 1996 Gazi Derby in 2:26.22.
On Sunday, Kocakaya and Miramis were trailed by Çakılhan, with its jockey Turgay Alıcı, who finished in 2:30.54. Italian Lanfranco "Frankie" Dettori, dubbed the best thoroughbred jockey in the world, finished third with Chi, in 2:30.78.
The race was watched by 15,000 spectators, while a total of 8.5 million liras were collected in race bets.
That was the third time Dettori raced at Veliefendi, where he competed at the International Boğaziçi and Topkapı races in 2008.