MIKE DE KOCK HAS A SWIG OF PIERRE JOURDAN

Trainer Mike de Kock
(Inage : Tab Online / Pierre Jourdan)

BETTING WORLD JUBILEE HANDICAP (Grade 3)
Turffontein, Turf, 1800m
12 June 2011

Karel Miedema
www.sportingpost.co.zaNever underestimate a champion trainer and always exercise caution with Gauteng feature form. The unstoppable Mike de Kock threw punters a curved ball at Turffontein on Sunday 12 June when he produced the Argentinian-bred daughter of Singspiel, Candy Singer, at a generous 18-1 to win the R200,000 Grade 3 Betting World Jubilee Handicap over 1800m. The multiple Group-placed mare picked up her biggest career win at the expense of the revitalised Summerhill-bred star Pierre Jourdan, who looks set for a tilt at the Vodacom Durban July come 2 July.

The Gauteng feature race form continues to befuddle and confuse and one of only two members of the fairer sex in this event caught the boys napping as she sliced through the middle under De Kock’s feature race jack-in-a-box jockey Randall Simons. The flashy Drakenstein Stud-owned mare had not won since January 2010 but she stepped out here under a handy galloping weight and gave her opponents a hiding. One would think that she is destined for stud in a month or two and this Grade 3 event will certainly do her smashing pedigree no harm in the Sales catalogue pages. She is quite a looker too.

Pierre Jourdan ran a champagne race on the comeback trail and he was giving the De Kock mare 9,5 kgs when going down narrowly. He also showed a finger to the second run after a rest brigade. The Gary Alexander inmate’s fighting spirit was evident as he barged his way through a tight gap late and he certainly won’t be out of place in the Vodacom Durban July field where he will get his chance to silence his detractors for once and for all. He is set to carry 57,5kg if Past Master stays in and with a bit of luck and further progress in his health and fitness, he looks like a big runner. He certainly reserves his best efforts for jockey Derreck David and the Alexander gang may yet be booking that lunch table in the Durban View Room for Saturday 2 July.

The Jubilee Handicap form though may once again prove a little suspect as the first bunch finished right on top of one another. There were also a few dented reputations. Happy Landing blotted his copybook after an impressive Champions Challenge payday at the end of April, but it would have been 200m too short for him - even though he won the Drum Star Handicap over the 1800m trip, the Ormonde Ferraris trained Magical ran on for third but was beaten without excuses. Galanthus jumped from the best of the draw but after showing toe, dropped out to nothing. The highly vaunted Geoff Woodruff Jet Master gelding, Soul Master, moved up threateningly but after winning three of his first five career outings, appears to have lost the plot and may be out of his depth at Group level.

BETTING WORLD JUBILEE HANDICAP (Gr3)
Final Result

#	LBH	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	0.00	CANDY SINGER (ARG)	52.5	91	10	R Simons	Mike de Kock
2	0.75	PIERRE JOURDAN	62.0	110	5	D David	Gary Alexander
3	0.90	MAGICAL	59.0	104	3	A Delpech	Ormond Ferraris
4	1.40	WITTENBERG	54.5	95	2	M Van Rensburg	Geoff Woodruff
5	1.75	MAHOGANY	55.0	96	11	* N Juglall	Weiho Marwing
6	2.00	SOUL MASTER	52.0	92	9	F Coetzee	Geoff Woodruff
7	2.50	QUEEN’S BAY	58.5	103	6	* JP van der Merwe	Mike Azzie
8	2.55	REGAL RANSOM	58.0	102	4	M Mienie	Sean Tarry
9	6.00	HAPPY LANDING	60.5	107	8	M Yeni	Joe Soma
10	6.75	ROYAL ARROW (AUS)	52.0	87	12	* J Greyling	Geoff Woodruff
11	7.00	GALANTHUS	59.5	105	1	S Brown	Tyrone Zackey
12	10.00	MPUMELELO	53.5	93	7	S Khumalo	Joe Soma
13	10.10	CARIBBEAN COAST	52.0	85	13	* A Mgudlwa	Erico Verdonese
14	12.75	CALL TO COMBAT	58.0	102	14	G Lerena	St John Gray
		Late Scratching
15	0.00	CRACKER JACK	56.0	98	5	A Marcus	Geoff Woodruff

Extract from Sporting Post