A big season with quality winners

Mike de Kock’s stable enjoyed an excellent 2021/2 racing season in South Africa with third place on the National Log, 87 winners, four G1 wins and a strike rate of 17,2% from just 570 runners, more than half less than the two top stables. A good performance by the De Kock team!

Mike said: “We are focusing on quality over quantity and we took several of the big races.”

The stable’s earnings per run (gross stakes/number of runs) reflects this and was an excellent R30,663 and change; the other nine trainers in the Top 10, reflect R18 943 (Paul Peter); R16 797 (Justin Snaith); R16 542 (Sean Tarry); R14 522 (Brett Crawford); R12 726 (Candice Bass-Robinson); R12 332 (Ashley Fortune); Glen Kotzen (11,723) and Alan Greeff (8 179) and Gavin Smith (R7,651). See statistics here.

Mike paid tribute to his team: “Without Diane and our team of assistants and handlers our good results would not have been possible. Thank you also to our staunch and valued patrons.”

He congratulated the national champions for the 2021/2 season in Paul Peter (Trainer), Warren Kennedy (jockey), Drakenstein Stud (owner) and Wilgerbosdrift/Mauritzfontein (Breeders). “They’ve all enjoyed phenomenal seasons, and we are thankful for being a part of Mary and Jessica’ breeders title and Gaynor Rupert’s owner’s title at Drakenstein.”

In looking back over the year there were the regular ups and downs on the social and racing front, starting last August with the passing of Charles Koster, Werner Koster and Stephen Jupp, industry friends for ages.

Our former stable jockey Callan Murray immigrated to Australia where he has settled down and is carving a career for himself. He rode Al Muthana for us in the 2022 Durban July during a holiday break last month.

September saw the retirement of Hawwaam to stud at Wilgerbosdrift Stud, where Mary Slack hosted an exceptional stallion day.

In October, we had an especially hot run of 12 winners with a 30% strike rate for the first three months of the season, and Mike was appointed as an Ambassador to Betway South Africa, the excellent one-stop betting platform. We hosted a Brazilian contingent on a visit to our Blue Stables in Dubai, and Desert Miracle won the G3 Graham Beck Stakes.

In December Safe Passage started his rise to prominence with a win in the Dingaans, and Desert Miracle was touched off by the smart Chansonette in the G1 Fillies Guineas in Cape Town. The 21^st Anniversary edition of Horse Chestnut, The Story Of A Legend, was released, for the first time on Kindle.

Appropriately for what would follow, Sparkling Water was our first winner in January 2022 at Turffontein, she followed that with a brilliant last-gasp win in the Western Cape Stayers over 2800m at Kenilworth. Aragosta won the G3 Sea Cottage Stakes, signalling more to come.

In February our 2021 Triple Crown winner, Malmoos, was retired to stud and Safe Passage continued his progress with a win in the G2 Gauteng Guineas.

Mike’s first grandson, Liam de Kock, was born to Mathew and Monique in Australia and spending time with him was a highlight of his year.

March saw Al Muthana come into his own with an impressive victory in the WFA G2 Hawaii Stakes over 1400m, a distance short of his best. He unleashed a big late run and at this point we believed he had G1 potential.

We were chuffed on Champions Day for a big win by Aragosta in the G1 SA Derby, and also for Rafeef who sired the winner. It feels like yesterday when Rafeef himself had his run of big sprint wins for us at this time in 2017. That he sires a Derby winner is testimony to his versatility and his big future at stud.

In Dubai, we were visited by Dragon Oil Limited, the exploration and production platform of the ENOC group. They were shown around our stables by Mohammad Mardood.

Late in May, we received new from SAEHP that the dates for our long-awaited bloodstock export audit had been set for 10-21 October, and we’re crossing fingers that this can finally come to fruition.

Mike took a small string to Summerveld in KZN for the first time in several years, to prepare them in the centre for the winter Champions Season and the stable reaped rich rewards for it.

In May, Safe Passage posted a surprise win in the G1 Daily News 2000, a surprise because he wasn’t considered fully wound up for the race and in winning stakes an early Durban July claim. “He has freakish heart rates,” said Mike.

In June, we received news that our former dual G1 Paddock Stakes winner Queen Supreme had arrived at her new home, Kia Ora Stud, in Australia and that she would first be visited by leading stallion, Farnan.

Another June highlight came when Al Muthana, reaching his peak, beat a string pre-July line-up in the G1 Gold Challenge, in so doing securing his Durban July spot as a decent outsider.

The cherry on the cake for a big year: Sparkling Water’s terrific Durban July win – Mike’s third win in the great race with a filly and his fifth overall, also a wonderful achievement for owner/breeder Mary Slack, whose runner Claymore had won at Royal Ascot a few weeks prior to the July.