DE KOCK-A-HOOP

Mike de Kock
(Photo : British Champion Series)

KING’S STAND STAKES (Group 1)
Ascot, Turf, 1006m
18 June 2013

The Aussies like to refer to the Melbourne Cup as “the race that stops a nation”. That’s right enough, because it has been known to interrupt Parliament, too. But the Brits have a festival that stops a racing nation for a week: Royal Ascot, and it starts next week.

South Africa has a runner, a big one, and the ANZ caught up with Mike de Kock on the prospects for Shea Shea in Tuesday’s King’s Stand Stakes (Gr.1).

Yesterday morning, while out for a pick of grass in front of the media, his trainer answered questions on his preparation. Shea Shea won the Al Quoz Sprint (Gr1, 1000m) at Meydan in March and has been based at Abington Place in Newmarket since. “The British public make this meeting, their enthusiasm over the five days is amazing,” de Kock began. “He [Shea Shea] is looking well and his work has been fantastic. He came out of his race in Dubai in pleasing fashion and had a few weeks off afterwards. I am really happy with him; he is looking well in his coat, which is important with him being a Southern Hemisphere horse who should be changing his cycle, and the fact that the weather here has been a bit chilly.

“I believe he is the real deal. He can be difficult when going to the start and can get fired up before his races but we will be prepared and are looking forward to the race. His ideal ground is in the firmer spectrum but I am not too worried about it.” With the unpredictable weather present during British summer time, the ground can often be a worry for international contenders and Chris Stickels, Clerk of the course at Ascot, was available yesterday to give everyone an update on the current conditions.

“We have had a dry start to June so we have been putting on a little bit of water and I think the ground should be good when I return to the track this afternoon. The outlook over the next few days is unsettled and although we are expecting thunderstorms on Sunday and Monday, next week should mainly be dry. Ideally the ground on Tuesday will hopefully be good, good-to firm range and it will be if the forecast is correct. We will not need to water again if this is the case.”

THE WORLD SPRINTING CHAMPIONSHIP

Watch Shea Shea winning the Al Quoz Sprint (Group 1)
(Photo : Virendra Saklani - Footage : Dubai Racing Meydan)

“Big deals get big men excited,
but racehorses can turn big men into little boys.”

Anyone who witnessed Brian Joffe’s embrace of Mike de Kock after the Shea Shea massacre in the Al Quoz Sprint (Gr.1) on World Cup night, will know what we mean when we say that racehorses do strange things to us. Big deals get big men excited, but racehorses can turn big men into little boys.

The news from England is that Shea Shea is the ruling favourite for both the King’s Stand Stakes (Gr.1) and the Golden Jubilee Stakes (Gr.1) for international racing’s smartest get together, Royal Ascot. If you want to make a statement on the world stage, Royal Ascot is your chance, and it’s a compliment to the son of National Emblem that he should be at the top of the boards against some of the finest sprinters in the world. There’ll be no excuses this time, as the Aussies and the Yanks both have entries, so if you’ve never taken time off to see The Queen, make a date now. The horse is reportedly in great shape, and should be raring to go.

The news though, on Highlands-bred Soft Falling Rain is not that encouraging, though we’ve not heard it from the “great within”, so treat it as such. It seems he has battled to adapt to the uphill gallops at Newmarket, having grown up on a diet of the flat ever since a saddle was thrown across his back. He was educated by a subtle team at Summerhill, and found his way to Randjiesfontein, where Mike de Kock and his team introduced him to the “gentle art” for the first time. Forays to Durban and Dubai changed nothing from a training perspective, but Newmarket is famous for its hills and climbs, and it seems he may not yet be ready for this assignment. Let’s not jump the gun though: he’s in the hands of the best professionals in the world, and with them, anything is possible.

DAWN APPROACH : LIKE FATHER LIKE SON IN THE DEWHURST

Click above to watch Dawn Approach winning the Dubai Dewhurst Stakes (French commentary)
(Image : Sporting Life - Footage : GBI)

DUBAI DEWHURST STAKES G1
Newmarket, Turf 1400m
13 October 2012

It was a case of business as usual in Saturday’s G1 Dubai Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket as Dawn Approach (Ire) (New Approach) took his perfect record to six and led home a one-two for trainer Jim Bolger, who was annexing a fifth renewal in seven years.

Racing in third early off the strong tempo forced by his pacesetting stable companion Leitir Mor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor), the September 15 G1 Vincent O’Brien National Stakes winner took a few strides to reach top gear with a quarter mile remaining, but after passing his barnmate just inside the final furlong, stretched away for a comfortable 2 3/4-length score.

In a break from tradition, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced afterwards that the winning 3-10 favorite would stay with his current trainer despite carrying the royal blue. “Sometimes, we change,” Dubai’s ruler said of the unprecedented shift in policy. “It is a great day and we are very happy. We hope he will be back here for the 2000 Guineas, but the trainer will see if he’s a Derby horse.”

“We’ve been fortunate over the last few years to have such good 2-year-olds, and he’s just another one of those,” jockey Kevin Manning said. “We went a proper pace and it never dropped, and two-down he hit that flat spot he always does, but I knew there was plenty there, and when he hit the rising ground he went away. He’s very straightforward to ride - he has a great cruising gear and you can do anything you like on him. He ticks all the boxes, and he’s much easier to deal with than his father, who had a bit of temperament about him and had to be ponied to the start. It’s been a long year for him, but he’s kept progressing and strengthening up all the time. He had a busy time up to Ascot, but afterwards it was a nice break for him, and he did very well at The Curragh last time. It is very hard to say at this stage, but I have no doubt that he will get further than a mile next year.” Bolger simply stated, “He’s capable of ruling the roost.”

Click here to watch race video on YouTube (English commentary)

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News

MIKE DE KOCK PLANS NEWMARKET EXPANSION

Mike de Kock
(Photo : Tab Online)

“If the BHA agrees, the horses will race under the names
of their South African trainers.”

Michael Clower
Racing PostMike de Kock is planning to expand his Newmarket operation by persuading other South African trainers to send him horses to be trained at his Abington Place base.

He will charge his normal training fees but the South African trainers will be paid the statutory percentages on their horses’ earnings while De Kock will take a smaller percentage. Furthermore, if the BHA agrees, the horses will race under the names of their South African trainers.

The seven-time South African Champion Trainer revealed his plans in an interview with David Mickleburgh commissioned by the country’s TBA and published on their website (click here to read the article).

De Kock also revealed his frustration at the complicated, lengthy and expensive travel arrangements necessitated by the ban on direct importation of horses from South Africa. This was imposed as a result of outbreaks of African Horse Sickness and is not due to expire until next May. Therefore his Dubai horses have gone via Mauritius and they have to then spend a further 30 days in Europe before being allowed into Dubai.

He said: “It costs the racehorses a potential health-threatening 147 days (including 40 in Mauritius where they are locked in their stables from 4.00pm to 8.30am with only an early morning feed, and then a 50-day residency period) and costs the owners US$50,000 per horse to meet the export protocols.”

“There is no scientific or veterinary reason for these imposts beyond the reasonable 21 days quarantine in South Africa to ensure that the animal is clean. Compare this to the limited restrictions on Australian horses where the illnesses they get can be life-threatening to even humans.”

“These restrictions are like a trade embargo and could even be considered illegal. Our authorities could, perhaps, become a little more aggressive and contemplate legal action. After all we have never exported a single case of African Horse Sickness.”

“But somewhere in an unknown address funny little people, who patently know nothing and are driven by a form of paranoia, or more worryingly may have an axe to grind or have become accommodating for other reasons, invent restrictions on South African horses that are beyond comprehension. I can only hope that when the next round of protocols is announced someone sees reason.”

Extract from Racing Post

The Warrior lies in wait...

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