WHEN the dust settles after the morning gallops at Meydan in Dubai on Saturday, 8 January, Mike de Kock and his UAE team will be pretending they’re back home.

Mike won’t be travelling to Cape Town for the Queen’s Plate and Paddock Stakes at Kenilworth, but he has access to the live Tellytrack feed and the team will be enjoying a traditional South African ‘braai’ at the stable complex while watching the action at Kenilworth.

“I’m excited about our runners in the big South African races today,” Mike said on Friday. “We’ll be glued to our TV screen here and shouting them home.”

Senior bachelor Steven Jell who, approaching mid-life, knows how to fry eggs and butter toast, is likely to try his hand at tanning a few juicy steaks for the boys while the action’s happening.