The father-and-son team of Mike and Mathew de Kock have only been training in partnership for six months, and were delighted to share their maiden Equus Awards trophy when Jan Van Goyen was awarded Champion 2yo Male at the glamorous Awards Ceremony held at
HWB Greyville on Thursday.
Jan Van Goyen, by Master Of My Fate, is raced by owner Henk Leyenaar in partnership with his daughters Daniela Erasmus and Luisa Huntingford. Mike credits Leyenaar with the acquisition of his erstwhile star, Ipi Tombe, and said: “Henk was involved in bringing the superstar Ipi Tombe to us from Zimbabwe, back in 2001. She was a turning point in my career, a proper star that launched the stable onto the global stage.”
He added: “It is heartwarming, after all these years for Mathew and I to be training a young champion colt for Henk and his family. We look forward to more wins from him in the new season. Jan van Goyen has gone from strength to strength and is still getting better.”
The stable has two runners at Turffontein’s inside track on Sunday, and Mat has also filed comments for two runners at HWB Scottsville, next Wednesday:
Turffontein, 17 August:
Race 3, 1600m: “Step Into It has made a little bit of improvement at home since his fourth place on his debut. He is by Elusive Fort out of a Silvano mare and ideally he’ll want even more ground than 1600m. He has a place chance.”
Race 4, 1600m: “Here we have
Special Star, another who finished fourth on her debut which was over this distance. She has made some steady progress at home – no fireworks just yet – and like with Step Into It, I think a mile is her minimum trip. We’re putting blinkers on her for this race as she been better with blinkers on, in her gallops at home. Place chance.
HWB Scottsville, Wednesday:
Race 4, 1600m: “We’re stepping out newcomer
Curious Girl, by Futura, over 1600m. She’s an out-and-out staying filly. I think she will need the run and the experience. I think we’ll see the best of her once she has matured, strengthened up with racing and tried over further. If not too green, I guess she can run on into the places.”
Race 8, 1750m: “
Gotta Go Eddie was a deserving Maiden winner over 1600m last time, he enjoyed the extra and won a good race. He goes into open company now and it’s never easy for a young horse in a handicap against older horses at this time of the season. But we think he is up to the challenge, he has an inside draw and could get a nice soft position early. We give him good eachway prospects.”
***
Racing is back at HWB Kenilworth on Saturday for the four Winter Country Championships Finals, each worth R200,000.
This is middle-division racing at its most competitive and there is every chance for several good exotic dividends. The corresponding races last year, yielded winners at 20-1, 50-1 and 6-1, resulting in a Pick 6 carryover and Jackpot payouts of R15,038 and R30,064 respectively. There were even two rare Pick 3 Carryovers.
Betway clients can access the TAB tote via the Betway Portal to play into the pools for this meeting, and there will be plenty of value on the fixed-odds boards as well. There are short-priced favourites in Races 5 and 6, both from Justin Snaith’s stable, but they are not ‘good things; by any stretch of the imagination. Dive Bomber (Race 5, 17-1) and Bluff On Bluff (Race 6, 8-1) are two among many who can surprise.
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