Mount Pleasant returned sound and well

“I’ve been scratching my head, I am battling to explain this run,” said Mike de Kock after Mount Pleasant (3-4 favourite) had finished unplaced in Saturday’s Gr2 Dingaans over 1600m at Turffontein, beaten 10.5-lengths.

“Mount Pleasant is physically well this morning, he returned sound, we couldn’t find anything wrong with him, so this is a tricky one to wrap my head around,” Mike said on Sunday.

“He is by Vancouver, who was a fast horse and who has produced predominantly speed runners so far. Mount Pleasant, as we’ve seen, is very fast himself. He’s a Nursery winner. So it may be that the mile in Saturday’s sticky going was just outside of his reach.

“But we’d like to try him over 1600m again, on a firmer track, to make sure, so the Cape Guineas remains our next option. If he fails again, well, then it’s a sprinting career for him and there is nothing we can do.