Mike de Kock announced this week that the stable’s top filly, Desert Miracle, will be retired to stud following her second place to Princess Calla in the G1 Garden Province Stakes on July day at HWB Greyville.
Desert Miracle (Dynasty) will join the select broodmare band at her owner Mary Slack’s Wilgerbosdrift Stud and Mike said: “It would’ve been great to have a winning swan song for her, but it wasn’t to be. She gave her best and was beaten by a true star in Princess Calla, a filly who has won G1 races for three trainers. There is no reason to persist with Desert Miracle now, she’s done more than enough for stud.”
Mike has entered two runners for a meeting on the standside track at
Turffontein on Saturday. It will feel like a low-key affair following last week’s Durban July euphoria, but the basics remain the same – fields of runners are assembled, it’s always exciting and there is money to be made.
Mike has booked in-form, July-winning jockey Kabelo Matsunyane for the ride on Destiny Of Souls in Race 6, a competitive merit rated handicap over 1600m. This two-time winning gelding was rested for most of the winter, but he put up a fair showing on his comeback just last week, placing third to Stratospheric over 1400m.
Mike said: “Destiny Of Souls took his run well last week, he is coming along nicely. This is his minimum effective trip, he’s looked best over 1800m so far, but I’d include him here, he has a money chance.”
Piere Strydom takes a rare mount for the stable on Sea Anemone in Race 9 over 1400m. This daughter of Dynasty is another who returned from a rest with a respectable 1450m run last week and she drops a division in class. She has a big weight, but gives the impression that she will win a few races and Mike joked: “I nearly fell of my chair when Piere’s agent phoned for the ride and I thought yes, why not, let’s run her with Striker up.
“If one goes back to her 1400m feature run in January, she ran on nicely, a good performance. This is slightly short of her best, I believe, but it’s been maybe 20 years since Striker phoned me for a ride, so maybe he knows something. I give her a chance, don’t leave her out.”
Elsewhere, on a tricky card, Tre Amici (Race 5, 1000m), caught the eye. Robbie Sage’s runner is well overdue his second career win and with a 2.5kg claimer aboard could get it right this time.
There are a good number of unraced horses coming to the Scottsville meeting on Sunday which will give this post-July meeting some needed colour. Notable among them are Umfulozi (Race 4, Michael Roberts), Dynalley (Race 5, Dean Kannemeyer) and Kyoto (Race 6, Michael Roberts), who all received positive pre-race comments from their handlers in the Computaform field notes.
A DK Plumbing-sponsored Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1600m tops the bill in the prize money department and, on exposed form, the lion’s share of the prize could go to Justin Snaith’s promising Rapidash (Danon Platina). On his pedigree, he is expected to enjoy the extra ground following a fluent 1200m success.
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