Champions Day: New set of young guns step into the fight

While other trainers have been scrapping it out in recent months with their precocious three-year-olds, Mike and Mathew de Kock have been quietly preparing some of their young “bombs” in the privacy of early-morning half-light at Randjesfontein.

One of these is the colt Immediate Edge, another the filly Spumante Dolce – both by form stallion Vercingetorix. The duo is poised to make a big impact at the Champions Day race meeting at Turffontein on Saturday 29 March.

Immediate Edge will live up to his name if, as expected, he starts as the favourite for the TAB SA Derby over 2450m.

The colt bypassed the Cape classic season and most of the Highveld equivalent but has, nonetheless, made an eye-catching start to his racing career with three wins from three runs.

Immediate Edge

After he won the Listed WSB Hawwaam Stakes for three-year-olds in early March, De Kock senior informed us: “I do think a lot of this horse, I think he’s going places.

“I don’t know if we’ll run him again in Joburg, we’ll see. He’s a horse you have to aim at the July and hope he comes in with a light weight.”

The De Kocks have tweaked that plan by declaring Immediate Edge as a runner in the Derby, one of Joburg’s famous old races.

They are well aware the youngster will get a hefty merit rating hike if he does well in the premier classic but also, of course, need him to lift his rating high enough to get into the July. His current number of 94 is a tad shy.

The father and son team will have no doubt about their charge’s ability to go the 2450m marathon, with him having reeled off two 2000m victories in a row at the Big T.

Wild Intent

Among the other 10 Derby acceptances is Lucky Houdalakis-trained Wild Intent who ran a close second to Immediate Edge in the Hawwaam Stakes.

This Gimmethegreenlight gelding also dodged the Guineas and Classic route, but did make a foray to Cape Town for the Politician Stakes (formerly the Cape Derby Trial). The long trip clearly wasn’t to his liking and, back home on the Highveld, he immediately showed good form again.

Spumante Dolce was 11-10 favourite for the Fillies Classic earlier this month, but lost her unbeaten record in a “run too bad to be true”, as Mike de Kock put it. A vet examination afterwards revealed “Grade 3 mucus” in her trachea, so that effort can be ignored when punters contemplate her chances in the Empress Club Stakes on Champions/Derby Day.

The sister of champion Sparkling Water is one of three three-year-olds in a disappointingly small – though high-quality – field of seven for the Grade 1 1600m contest for females.

CHAMPIONS DAY FINAL FIELDS

(Draw, name, weight, MR, number, trainer, jockey)

TAB SA Derby, Grade 1, R1.25m, 2450m:

1 Olivia’s Way 57.5 112 13 Roy Magner Muzi Yeni
2 Don’t Cry For Me 60 101 5 Sean Tarry Piere Strydom
3 Bacchus 60 101 4 Fabian Habib Craig Zackey
4 Parisian Walkway 60 121 1 Alec Laird Calvin Habib
5 Count Huhtikuu 60 79 12 BJ Crawford/JI Crawford Kabelo Matsunyane
6 Grey Jet 60 108 3 Weichong Marwing Rachel Venniker
7 Towers Of Gold 60 93 8 Paul Matchett Philasande Mxoli
8 Immediate Edge 60 94 7 Mike / Mathew de Kock Ryan Munger
9 Wild Intent 60 99 6 Lucky Houdalakis Gavin Lerena
10 Casus Belli 60 83 11 Paul Matchett Raymond Danielson
11 Solar Sail 60 86 10 Mark Khan Jarryd Penny
12 Legend Of Arthur 60 109 2 Sean Tarry Richard Fourie
13 Zip Code 60 89 9 David Nieuwenhuizen Chase Maujean

Wilgerbosdrift Bridget Oppenheimer SA Oaks, Grade 2, R750,000, 2450m:

1 Cocomelon 60 90 7 Sean Tarry Gavin Lerena
2 The Mightiest 60 78 10 Weiho Marwing Kobeli Lihaba
3 Gerbera 60 99 3 Sean Tarry Ryan Munger
4 World Of Alice 60 108 2 Sean Tarry Craig Zackey
5 Fiery Pegasus 60 119 1 Joe Soma Richard Fourie
6 Party Punch 60 77 11 Phillip Labuschagne Raymond Danielson
7 Hat’s Queen 60 96 5 Tony Peter Calvin Habib
8 Care Forgot 60 98 4 Barend Botes S’manga Khumalo
9 Todoque 60 92 6 Paul Matchett Rachel Venniker
10 Ancient Wisdom 60 88 8 Tony Peter Kabelo Matsunyane
11 Fetching Flyer 60 88 9 Paul Matchett Philasande Mxoli

HKJC World Pool Champions Challenge, Grade 1, R2m, 2000m:

1 Navajo Nation 60 102 7 Weiho Marwing Kobeli Lihaba
2 None Other 57.5 115 9 Lucky Houdalakis Craig Zackey
3 Silver Sanctuary 57.5 117 8 Mike / Mathew de Kock Juan Paul v’d Merwe
4 Chestnut Bomber 55.5 104 11 J A Janse van Vuuren S’manga Khumalo
5 Imilenzeyokududuma 60 114 5 Gareth van Zyl Ryan Munger
6 Hotarubi 60 112 6 Sean Tarry Piere Strydom
7 Son Of Raj 60 119 4 Tony Peter Gavin Lerena
8 Purple Pitcher 60 123 2 Robyn Klaasen Kabelo Matsunyane
9 Atticus Finch 60 121 3 Alec Laird Calvin Habib
10 Royal Victory 60 124 1 Nathan Kotzen Muzi Yeni
11 Fire Attack 55.5 116 10 Alec Laird Richard Fourie

TAB Empress Club Stakes, Grade 1, R1m, 1600m:

1 Beating Wings 60 116 1 Stuart Pettigrew Richard Fourie
2 White Pearl 60 114 2 Mike / Mathew de Kock Piere Strydom
3 Lady Fallon 60 102 4 Lucky Houdalakis S’manga Khumalo
4 Vj’s Angel 57 119 6 Tony Peter Calvin Habib
5 Spumante Dolce 57 119 5 Mike / Mathew de Kock Raymond Danielson
6 Let’s Go Now 60 113 3 Sean Tarry Craig Zackey
7 Fatal Flaw 57 115 7 BJ Crawford/JI Crawford Gavin Lerena

TAB Computaform Sprint, Grade 1, R1m, 1000m:

1 Taxi To The Moon 57.5 110 9 Tony Peter Andrew Fortune
2 Lucky Lad 60 125 2 Sean Tarry Richard Fourie
3 Time Fo Orchids 57.5 107 10 J A Janse van Vuuren Serino Moodley
4 Pistol Pete 57.5 115 8 Tony Peter Calvin Habib
5 Melech 60 119 3 Roy Magner Muzi Yeni
6 Golden Sickle 57.5 121 6 Tony Peter Gavin Lerena
7 No Filter 57.5 103 12 Tienie Prinsloo Diego De Gouveia
8 Winds Of Change 57.5 107 11 M G Azzie/A A Azzie Juan Paul v’d Merwe
9 William Robertson 60 128 1 Corne Spies Ryan Munger
10 Cruise Control 60 118 4 Gavin Smith Craig Zackey
11 Mover And Shaker 60 112 5 Fabian Habib S’manga Khumalo
12 Chocolate Soldier 57.5 115 7 Corne Spies Kabelo Matsunyane