De Kock opts for Mubtaahij
Will it be fourth time lucky at world’s richest race, the Dubai World Cup?
There would be no better way for Mike de Kock to bring up his 3,000th winner than by winning the $10m Dubai World Cup, but he is likely to reach that goal well before the world’s richest race on March 25.
De Kock has been knocking at the door of World Cup success with Victory Moon third in 2004, Asiatic Boy second in 2008 and Mubtaahij the runnerup in 2016. Mubtaahij is back in De Kock’s care and has been nominated for the World Cup with Arrogate, rated the best horse on the planet in 2016.
Arrogate, a four-year-old trained by the legendary Bob Baffert, was a runaway winner of January’s Pegasus World Cup in which owners had to stump up $1m to get a run in the race.
California Chrome, winner of the 2016 Dubai World Cup, was expected to prove a tough rival, but in the end Arrogate emerged a comfortable winner.
Another interesting World Cup entry is Dortmund, who used to be trained by Baffert but is now with Art Sherman. He could be a big player if making the trip to Dubai.
De Kock’s stable is well represented in the three feature races at Turffontein on Saturday and both Ektifaa and Al Fahad should run well in the R250,000 grade 3 Tony Ruffel Stakes.
Callan Murray, last season’s leading apprentice, is getting the choice rides for the De Kock yard and — from a favourable draw — he is likely to make a bold bid on Aussie-bred Ektifaa. Randall Simons will partner stablemate Al Fahad.
Doosra could start favourite in this 1,450m race, although trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren has the R1m Betting World Gauteng Guineas as his chief objective. He is 3kg worse off with Al Fahad compared with their recent clash at the Vaal.
Murray rides Zaakhira for the De Kock yard in the grade 3 Three Troikas Stakes in which Maleficent, Anna Pavlova and Babbling Brooke are likely to be the best-supported runners.
Alec Laird will be looking to Maleficent to return to her best form, but she could be fully extended by Roy Magner’s Anna Pavlova. This should be an exciting race, with Piere Strydom aboard Babbling Brooke and Gavin Lerena an eye-catching booking for Elusive Strike.
The third feature on the ninerace card — the Wolf Power 1,600 — could see the De KockMurray combination come up trumps on another Aussie-bred, Rafeef. With Champagne Haze not certain to stay the trip, the chief dangers are likely to be Romany Prince and Irish Pride.
Jockey Anthony Delpech should go close on Michael Azzie’s Handsome Henry in the first leg of the Pick 6.
Andrew Fortune is going flat out for another championship, so his mount Bay Style must be included in permutations.
Janse van Vuuren will be expecting Girl On The Run to outsmart her opponents in the third race. Delpech has a shout on Joey Soma’s runner, Navette, in the final event.