Mike de Kock, South Africa's globetrotting trainer and two time G1 Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup winner, returns to Hong Kong in 2014 with a dual pronged attack on the 27 April feature.
He will be represented by the four-year-olds Vercingetorix and Sanshaawes and neither should be underestimated given the master trainer's positive post mortem to their performances at the recent Dubai World Cup carnival.
Vercingetorix was vanquished for the first time in the Dubai Duty Free, after five wins from as many starts in South Africa and Dubai, but finished a creditable second to Japanese star Just A Way in record time and De Kock said he thought his charge, whom he describes as 'one of the best horses bred in South Africa in recent years', ran well.
'Vercingetorix made all of us and his South African connections mighty proud. He’s arguably the best thoroughbred to come from our country in recent years – he’s a very good horse and Just A Way, who beat him, must be exceptionally talented,' he said.
De Kock has won the APQE II Cup with with Irridesence (2006) and Archipenko (2008) and Vercingetorix follows a trail blazed by Archipenko who was third in the Dubai Duty Free before winning in Hong Kong.
Stablemate Sanshaawes finished seventh in the Dubai World Cup, two spots and 1.5 lengths behind Hong Kong's Akeed Mofeed. De Kock felt he he had little luck. 'I think he would have made the first four with some better luck. With all the excitement around him, he was a bit fractious before the off and got both his forelegs over the stall, which didn’t help. He didn’t have a trouble-free passage either, suffered interference in the race and Christophe (Soumillon) believes they would have made the frame if Sanshaawes was able to find his rhythm and a clear run,' he said.
De Kock will also be represented, a week later, in the Champions Mile by stable newcomer Variety Club who won the Godolphin Mile in Dubai from de Kock's Soft Falling Rain. The Champions Mile will be the five-year-old’s first start for de Kock, who has had five previous shots at the race with Musir’s third-place in 2011 being the closest he has come to victory.
'We prepared Variety Club on behalf of (trainer) Joey Ramsden and shared his joy although his champion beat us into second. Joey did a brilliant job with the horse and it's now our privilege to take him to Hong Kong,' de Kock said.
The move of Variety Club from Joey Ramsden is seen as a practical decision by owners Markus and Ingrid Jooste. Jooste’s racing manager Derek Brugman said, 'There is nothing sinister in the move. It will just allow Joey to concentrate on his local string. Joey will also continue to benefit financially from Variety Club’s success as much as he would have done as the trainer.'
