Noah From Goa ran another game race on Saturday, taking third place in the Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate over 1600m at Kenilworth against some of the best older milers in the land.
The three-year-old by Tiger Ridge will be given a well-deserved rest now and Mike de Kock commented: “Noah From Goa gave a great account in what was considered to be one of the strongest renewals of the Queen’s Plate in recent years.
“Noah From Goa has had a long and successful season so far, he’s given his best and he will enjoy a nice few weeks off now. We have the autumn feature season coming up in Gauteng so we’ll probably point him at the Horse Chestnut 1600 or the Classic early in April.”
The Queen’s Plate was won by Sean Tarry-trained Legal Eagle (Avontuur Stud), the highest-rated horse in the country. He is a son of Mike’s erstwhile star Grey’s Inn, who stands for R30,000 a pop at Graeme Koster’s Rosedene Stud and has sired three individual Gr1 winners from limited opportunities.
Mike de Kock said: “He’s one of the best value stallions around, if not the best.”
Greys Inn is a half brother to Good Judgement (Horse Chestnut), the dam of Smart Call, who won the Gr1 Paddock Stakes for Jessica Slack and Mauritzfontein Stud half hour before the Queen’s Plate.
www.mikedekockracing.com