Mike de Kock was the first to congratulate KZN trainer Nathan Kotzen on winning the G1 R5-million Summer Cup at Turffontein on Saturday.
There were highly emotional scenes in the winner’s enclosure as Royal Victory’s group of owners and connections awaited their star and Mike said: “To have been beaten by a horse trained by Nathan Kotzen is as good as a second place gets. This was a terrific win for a small stable and small owners, good people of racing!”
Nathan was Mike’s assistant and right-hand man for many years at Summerveld, when the stable operated two bases, and Mike on many occasions described him as ‘a top horseman in his own right’, having worked closely with a long line of champions including three Durban July winners.
“I hope this is the start of big things for Nathan, who will hopefully get the kind of owner support he deserves. This was a professionally executed training feat.”
