SA racing shocked by death of Igugu

News of the death of brilliant mare Igugu, winner of the Durban July and Met, has shocked her former trainer Mike de Kock.

Her demise was picked up last week when someone doing a story on Igugu’s half-sister, Ngaga (trained by Andre Nel), came across the shocking information that South Africa’s once darling mare had passed away on 24 November 2016.

It was reported in the Australian Stud Book.

“This is simply bizarre,” said De Kock on his website mikedekockracing.com when informed on Thursday evening of Igugu’s death. “It boggles my mind that it took the best part of a year for us to get to know about Igugu’s death when she’s the type of mare who’d deserve a state funeral!

“All of us at the stable are taken by this and sad, but we won’t dwell on the fact that the info came to us so terribly late. Igugu was a wonderful champion in all respects, a top mare with vast amounts of courage and a big favourite to all in the yard.

“We salute her with fond memories!” Jockey Anthony Delpech, who rated Igugu the best horse he had ever ridden in South Africa, was equally shocked. “That was very disappointing to hear. It was a great loss.

“She did so well for me so it’s very, very sad.”

Igugu remarkably won all three legs of the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara at Turffontein, the Grade 1 Woolavington and Vodacom Durban July at Greyville and the Met at Kenilworth, all within the space of 11 months.