Mike De Kock
De Kock clinched the juvenile feature double at a wet Turffontein on Saturday and wrapped up a good weekend with an impressive debut by the Var colt, Mastermind, at Scottsville on Sunday.
The Avontuur bred Mastermind made his eagerly awaited debut after turning heads when knocked down for R1 million at the Cape Thoroughbred Sales Book 1 sale last year. He, like the other two smart Australian bred 2yo winners for De Kock, races in the famous blue and white Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum silks. Mastermind started a 1 to 3 favourite in the second race, a maiden Juvenile Plate run over 1200m.
Despite running green and not quite knowing what was required of him, the beautiful bay colt still managed to assert his authority and won well under Anthony Delpech. Avontuur General Manager Pippa Mickleburgh was over the moon after watching the win on television from the beautiful farm:
“He was simply an awesome yearling. He was big and strong and very powerful. He actually takes after his full sister Schiffer who is also a big strong filly. His dam Model IQ is an awesome mare, so super talented as a race filly when trained by Charles Laird for Avontuur and Tony Georgiou. She suffered a serious injury so did not realise her full potential,” she said. Pippa went on to say that she clearly remembered Laird telling her not to worry about Model IQ’s disappointing race record, as he felt she would be a great broodmare for Avontuur.
Child Genius! The young Mastermind in his early days at Avontuur
“And Charles was on the button. She has begun so well and continues to produce fantastic yearlings. She has a Silvano filly at foot and is in foal to Oratorio.The female line is one that has done us so proud for over 15 years. Her dam Wise Dame is still with us and she has a Var filly at foot and is now going to be retired. She has been an extraordinary foundation mare, producing Royal IQ, Mentor, My Kazzie and we have two other relations with us in Academia, a full sister to My Kazzie in foal to Var, and Varsity Queen, the full sister to both Schiffer and Mastermind ,in foal to Oratorio,” she said excitedly.
Pippa added that she was thrilled to have had Mastermind win for Mike De Kock and Sheik Hamdan Al Maktoum, as the Sheik’s advisor Angus Gold bought from them for the first time in 2012. “It has worked out very well. Mastermind and Varachino are both by Var and are both debut winners at two this season. It is lovely to have good horses with the De Kock team and these international owners, as the world is their oyster,” she said.
De Kock’s Saturday Australian bred juvenile feature winning duo of Majmu and Banaadeer underlined the strength of his string. The two were purchased from the same sale and recorded their first stakes victories.
The debutante Majmu (Redoute’s Choice x Spontaneous) struck first scoring a length win after a tardy start in the Listed Ruffian Stakes for two-year-old fillies over 1000m.
Bred and sold by Arrowfield Stud at the 2013 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale for $300,000 to Shadwell Stud, Majmu is the second foal of South American Group 1 winner Spontaneous. Banaadeer (More Than Ready x Provence) then made it a double at Turffontein when taking the Listed Storm Bird Stakes for two-year-old colts and geldings over 1000m.
The colt has stamped himself amongst South Africa’s most exciting juveniles with an eight length debut win followed by Saturday’s three length romp at stakes level. Banaadeer was bred by Mr R Anderson and sold to Shadwell Stud for $700,000 from Widden Stud’s draft at last year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. The De Kock nursery marches on.
