New De Kock team carries ‘a big tool bag’

It’s Guineas Day and it’s the first leg of The Championships season in Joburg. But the main significance of Saturday’s meeting at Turffontein is the appearance on the big stage of the De Kock father and son team.

Mike de Kock is South Africa’s most famous racehorse trainer, having put the country on the racing map with his winning exploits around the world. His son Mathew was his very successful understudy, as the old man travelled the globe, before heading to Australia and making an important mark for himself in that wildly competitive arena.

The De Kocks getting together as “M/M de Kock” is no small matter in the local game.

Newly arrived home, Mathew has made no bones about his ambition.

‘World at our feet’

“I have come home with a big tool bag, so to speak,” declared the 33-year-old in a recent interview on Gallop TV’s In The Box Seat about the invaluable experience of a five-year sojourn Downunder.

“We have the world at our feet,” he said, in reference to the recovery of the South African racing industry and the opening up of thoroughbred export opportunities.

“I’m very hungry! I want to win the trainer’s championship; and hopefully get our horses good enough to start competing on the world stage again,” Mathew told interviewers Andrew Harrison and Warren Lenferna.

The new father-son enterprise won’t be champions this year: the stats of the new “entity” starts from zero this week. But with Mathew confirming ongoing relationships with big owners like Mauritzfontein, Hollywood and Ridgemont – and plans for Aussie-style, mega-syndicates of scores of small owners – the 2025/26 season could see the De Kocks vying with the likes of Justin Snaith, Sean Tarry and the Crawfords.

Mike has already relocated from his hometown of Joburg to Durban, where the operation has 40 boxes. Mathew will initially be in charge of the 75 boxes at the old yard at Randjesfontein and horses will shuttle between the Highveld and the coast according to their needs.

Importantly for punters, M/M will be keen to make an early mark. The stable has two runners at Greyville on Friday night, but the big guns will be firing at Turffontein on Saturday.

Gauteng Guineas

Top trainers live for major race meeting celebrations, so De Kock runners will be well tuned for Guineas Day.

Mathew might not be in Joburg as the move of his young family – wife Monique and kids Liam and Olivia – from Melbourne is the immediate priority. But he’ll be on the phone to dad to see how their seven runners fare. And they might fare well.

De Kock senior had a marvellous sign-off to his 35-year, 3,800-wins, solo career last weekend: four trips to the winner’s circle at the Big T. The form is hot.

The principal focus will be Greaterix in the R1-million Grade 2 TAB Gauteng Guineas. The striking grey colt is likely to start as a short-priced favourite but faces a tough rival in Alec Laird-trained Fire Attack.

In the companion race, the Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas, De Kock saddles exciting prospect Spumante Dolce. To maintain her unbeaten record, in her third outing, the beautifully bred youngster must dethrone current queen of the local turf Quid Pro Quo, who goes for her seventh win in succession.

Other De Kock standouts on the day are Dupont Emerald in Race 2 and Top Seed in Race 10.