Hawwaam to run in Derby

HAWWAAM will be aimed at the R2-million SA Derby over 2 400m at Turffontein on Saturday March 30.

Mike de Kock has announced immediate plans for his star colt Hawwaam and said: “I have discussed Hawwaam’s next few races with Angus Gold and Sheikh Hamdan and we have decided to race him in the Grade 1 SA Derby on March 30, followed five weeks later by the Champions Challenge. Those will possibly be his only races for what is left of this season, though we will enter him for the Durban July and make a call on that after the Champions Challenge. “We changed our plans with Hawwaam because our original Derby contender Barahin has a minor muscle strain and will miss the Derby as a result. Barahin is to be aimed at the KZN Champions Season. We have the Daily News and the July in mind for him, he could come into the ‘July’ quite well handicapped.”

Of Soqrat, the stable’s third three-year-old ace, De Kock commented: “graded races over a mile (1 600m) are in short supply. We’ll be pointing him at the Horse Chestnut Stakes, possibly followed by Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge at Greyville. He will also be entered for the Champions Challenge, it all depends on his well-being.”

De Kock also explained that Hermoso Mundo, who had a disappointing run when last in a Grade 3 race in Abu Dhabi, “scoped badly post-race”.

Unfortunately that has probably scuppered his chances of running on Dubai World Cup but at least they found the problem. – mikedekockracing.com

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