MIKE de Kock saddles a three way coupling in Sunday’s Listed Off To Stud Handicap at Scottsville and the coupling will be a natural inclusion for Pick Six players. The man who goes for his eighth SA champion trainer title next week week, will grab any contribution to his championship aspirations,with Sean Tarry breathing down his neck. 

Now racing in the Wilgerbosdrift silks, the top rated filly in the race and the possible De Kock stable elect (despite the jockey engagement and weight considerations) is the former Eric Sands trained Halfway To Heaven (headline photo).

The Gr3 Prix Du Cap winner is a lovely daughter of Jet Master who rattled up four wins in a row in the Cape last year. It takes a decent sort to achieve that anywhere, and while she has yet to put her best foot forward in KZN this season, she was cramped when running just over seven lengths behind the equine superwoman, Beach Beauty, in the Gr1 Garden Province stakes on July Day.

The second of the De Kock attack trio is the Kahal mare Checcetti, who jumps from the best of the draw with ace jockey Anthony Delpech up. A winner of the Gr2 Gerald Rosenberg at her third last start earlier this year, and the Gr3 Jacaranda Handicap, she has failed to deliver in her last two outings. She gave Himalayan Hill 7,5 kgs in this race last year and only went down narrowly.

She is 2kgs better off this time round. The change of scenery back to KZN may be the catalyst required to get her to lift her game again. Rounding off De Kock’s team is the twice winning Gr1 placed Danehill Dancer mare Berry Blaze, who ran on nicely when just over two lengths behind stablemate Lehaaf in the Listed Thukela Handicap. She has been rather disappointing on the track though, and would need to build on that effort to have a shout here. – extracted from a preview by Sporting Post.