The depth of the Mike de Kock string must surely send shivers down the spine of every trainer in South Africa and the 47 year old horseman showed his prowess and foresight at a low-key midweek meet at Scottsville in the Capital of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, on Wednesday 1 June with a neat double, which included the two year old Thunder Gulch colt, Terrible Gulch, who arrogantly dismissed his elder rivals in an open company handicap over 1400m. Granted the opposition were hardly the stuff of high performance dreams , with the likes of James Goodman’s consistent but moderate Malhub gelding Seven Network chasing the youngster home, but there was something really nice about the way the Argentinian-bred youngster quickened late to win going away.
We have all heard the bar and tote talk. ‘If I had De Kock’s owners and horses, I would be also be winning races all over the world.’ To the contrary, it is not quite as simple as that. Some very smart horses have had their careers ruined by some very intelligent men. Some guys can train horses. Others can’t. But Michael De Kock sure as hell can and he cautioned punters prior to the meeting by saying the two year old ‘was not an aimer’ and was being tested and prepped for a proposed feature race campaign. The awfully named colt not unexpectedly blew in the betting but he came back and blew them away on the track. He is now undefeated in two from two after an impressive odds-on debut at the same track at the end of February and could be just about anything. A blind man from a skyscraper can see that he is one for the notebook.
Ironically it was another son of Thunder Gulch who would have probably provided the De Kock yard with their biggest disappointment and puzzle of the day. The three year old Bage went to post a popular favourite in the seventh race, an MR 88 handicap over 1950m, but he was never in it and finished way downfield as the lightly-raced Dynasty gelding Sage Throne streaked away late at 28-10 to signal his arrival on the racing scene. He is out of the once –upon-a-time owned Richard Gomes family darling Sage Blue who raced in the familiar pink, white and black silks of the former Chelsea footballer, who has now settled in the UK. The 5 time winning grey Badger Land mare made her initial mark in the paddock as the mom of another outstanding animal by the name of Russian Sage – who incidentally changed hands for decadent money some years ago and who retired recently, a shadow of his former self after a moderately successful international campaign. Is racing just not laced with so many happy and sad stories ? Sage Throne is thus bred to go 2400m plus in time to come and yet showed an explosive turn of foot here. He started his career in Cape Town in an undistinguished fashion but has won his first two starts for the capable Colin Scott, whose breeder- brother Robin owns him in partnership with Cape-based Keith Steinberg, whom we know better as jockey Andrew Fortune’s sponsor, Lektron.
The card looked tricky at first glance but it was really just an optical illusion provided by the operator who carded nine races and kicked off with the tenth race –a harness race. Seriously, it wasn’t an April fool joke or administrative blunder. The mathematical high jinks were designed to break the totalisator double and pick 3 link between the two codes and those punters that missed the chariot race would have been smiling – and just a tad confused probably. The harness rolling start was a disaster and the favourite was looking in the direction of Johannesburg and got left and was never in the race – eventually being declared a non-runner. Durban July winning jockey Jimmy Anderson, now in his sixties, made all the running on the Brian Moore-owned Fearless Ayla(SWE) to win a race where commentator Sheldon Peters drowsily almost nodded off at times. Both the winning owner – he part owned the brilliant Foveros – and Jimmy Anderson have definitely had more glamorous moments in their long racing careers but nothing beats a winner and they must be commended for throwing their weight behind a code that surely has a place somewhere under the African sun.
Anthony Delpech rode the first of his three winners on the handsome first-timer Always Al for Sean Tarry and Chris Van Niekerk. The well backed favourite streaked clear in the first leg of the Pick Six to win as he liked and looks like he will go on to win many more. He is by the deceased Al Mufti and was bred by Highlands Stud – who grabbed a double as they also bred the impressive Sage Throne.
Brad Van Riet of Vanree Stud in Wellington made a statement for that rare species called ‘small breeder’ when he bred the winner of the second race from his unfashionable stallion, Whitechapel. He would have enjoyed watching the grey two year old filly Look Who’s Talkin win well for the Baitz family and trainer Glen Kotzen at a mouthwatering 20-1. She is by the Fort Wood stallion Whitechapel out of a Mr Justice mare, Glib Talk, and was a R60 000 Vintage Sale purchase. Brad stands the former Oppenheimer-owned stallion and this was a second winner from two crops and only a handful of runners. It takes a brave man to stand a horse that was a relatively ordinary racecourse performer , but wise men like Peter Kannemeyer will tell us that blood ‘rules the land.’ Whitechapel’s dam London Wall was also the mum of a certain horse that enthusiasts will remember well – Horse Chestnut.
The day closed on a high note for Mike de Kock in the 1900m Maiden Plate for fillies and mares as he claimed the second leg of a notable double when a determined Kevin Shea broke a frustrating recent short-term drought to keep the Irish-bred daughter of the Green Desert stallion Invincible Spirit, Celestial Cloud, going in cavalier fashion to withstand the late charge of the well tried and luckless Miss Diana. Tellytrack on-course presenter Paul Lafferty, who also trains the second placed filly, gave punters oodles of confidence in his race preview when he tipped his African Betting Clan-owned daughter of Muhtafal with confidence and he and syndicate nominee Dave Scott must have been banking the cheque 100m from home after Lafferty’s disposable formless second–stringer Biddy had ensured the desired true pace for the first 1500m and sealed what seemed a plan-come-together. Miss Diana stormed through, looking a winner but the fairytale was not to be and it probably doesn’t make too much sense on most days to bet against the De Kock factor.
An entertaining afternoon under blue skies and a welcome break from the rigours, stress and glamour of Champions Season. Sadly for the fractional punting brigade it was largely uninspiring stuff with the PA paying under R100 and the Pick Six just R3240.
