Mathew de Kock will saddle his first two runners in Australia on Wednesday when Mr Money Bags and Token Spirit line up at Geelong outside Melbourne.
“In these modern times with racing 24/7, partnerships have proved very successful here in Australia and we hope we can be the next pair to make an impact.”
The 29-year-old De Kock has been based in Australia since March and had initially intended to train in his own right at Cranbourne until Griffiths presented him with the partnership opportunity.
Mathew had been assistant to his father, Mike, since 2010. Both father and son last year toured numerous training facilities in Victoria and NSW to find Mathew’s future base before they eventually decided on Cranbourne.
It is interesting to note that Wednesday’s Geelong Classic offers total prizemoney of A$140,000 (R1.6-million), with the winner receiving A$84,000 (R976,000).
Unfortunately for South Africans the race meeting at Geelong is not part of the bouquet of races that will be broadcast on Tellytrack.
www.tabonline.co.za