It will be a big day for the De Kock family on Sunday at Hollywoodbets Greyville and Mike, Diane and Mathew will be hoping to crown it with two Gr 1 victories (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
Mike de Kock, speaking on behalf of the Mike and Mathew de Kock yard, said there were “no complaints” about Dave The King ahead of Sunday’s Gr 1 HKJC Champions Cup over 1800m on Sunday, where he will be attempting to achieve a Gr 1 weight for age Hollywoodbets Greyville double-double, as he has won the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge over 1600m for two years running and will be out to win the Champions Cup for two years running too.
It will be a momentous day for Mike no matter what happens as he will be inducted into the South African Hall Of Fame at the meeting.
He said about big bay Dave The King, “He is just his normal self, I can’t say he is better or worse, he is just in a good space.”
The yard take it day by day with him as he does have his issues, but De Kock said it had been going well.
His preparation would by now be complete.
The five-year-old Global View gelding is hard to beat at the tight Hollywoodbets Greyville track as he has the capability of sustaining a finishing run from at least 800m out.
Once he finds the lead with his massive stride he is hard to fetch.
Callan Murray knows him well, having ridden him in his last two starts, and he will want to have him in a position from whence he can begin that finishing effort from a long way out.
It did not pan out like that in the Gold Challenge, as he was stuck on the rail behind the pacemaker Oriental Charm with horses outside of him, but he still won after Murray manoeuvred him brillantly through a gap between the false rail and Oriental Charm, meaning he had 450m to use his massive stride and he went on to hold on by a neck from Oriental Charm with a flying Gladatorian beaten 0,35 lengths into third.
He was drawn two there and is now drawn four which might enable him to be off the rail and with the opportunity to begin his run earlier.
Montien is likely to ensure a good early pace too.
Going for home 800m out would be preferable for Dave The King considering the closer Gladatorian nearly caught him in the Gold Challenge and this time there are additional top class closers in the field like The Real Prince, Fire Attack, See It Again and Royal Victory and it is only an eight horse field, so they won’t have a lot of ground to make up if Dave The King is going to be waited with until the top of the straight.
It is going to be an intriguing race and one of the highest class events of the season.
The yard also have a top chance of winning the Gr 1 World Pool Moment Of The Day Champion Stakes with the exciting Master Of My Fate colt Jan van Goyen.
De Kock said, “I think he is very progressive and his formlines are very good. He is a nice, big strong horse and I think he should be very suited to the mile.”
On top of that Jan van Goyen has landed a plum draw of three.
Callan Murray, who has won two Gr 1s since returning from Australia, will also be aboard Jan van Goyen.
De Kock said being inducted into the Hall Of Fame would be a big moment in his career.
He said, “You are being recognised by your country for your contribution to the country, so personally for me it is a big deal and then when I look at the names that are in the Hall Of Fame I feel even more honoured as there are many great South Africans there.”
De Kock will join his former guv’nor Ormond Ferraris and the legendary pair, trainer Syd Laird and jockey Michael “Muis” Roberts, as the only horeracing celebrities to make it into the South African Hall Of Fame.
When asked about the highlight of his career he said, “There is not one memory you can single out, but obviously my first winner, my first Gr 1, my first July and winning on World Cup night are stand outs, but there are so many others. I have been privileged to have multiple good memories.”
