MIKE de Kock landed the South African Derby for the sixth time in his great career when Aragosta was brought by Richard Fourie with a sustained run to get up well inside the final 100 yards, and beat Zeus by half a length, at Turffontein last Saturday.

The 4/1 winner is out of the Irish-bred Galileo mare Miss Galidora - a half-sister to the 2003 Poule d’Essai des Poulains winner Clodovil - and was a first Group 1 success for last season’s leading first-season sire Rafeef who is a son of Redoute’s Choice.

“The SA Derby has lost a little bit of its shine but some great horses have won it and I remember as a 19-year-old thinking it was the race I wanted to win,” De Kock (now 58) recalled. “I was lucky enough to train Rafeef and for him to also get a sprinting winner on this card (Master Archie in the Group 3 Man O’War) shows what a hell of a sire he is.”

Sorry to relate, Aragosta has none of the genes to pass on. He is a gelding!

KOMMETDIEDING is still an entire and the Durban July/Met winner is on course to break convention. The accepted wisdom amongst trainers is that you don’t ask a horse to race in three different centres in succession. But Michelle Rix has not shot to the top by slavishly following tradition and she has her sights set on the Premier’s Champions Challenge at Turffontein at the end of the month.

Her stable star put up a fine prep by running on into third behind MK’s Pride in the Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over a mile. He should be even more effective over the extra two furlongs.

Nine wins

MK’s Pride is by the Australian-bred Willow Magic (a son of Dubawi) and has now won nine of his 20 starts. He is trained by Paul Peter and was ridden by Muzi Yeni who promptly cast modesty aside, saying: “I think I am one of the top guys and it’s a pity that I haven’t been sitting on the right horses. When I do get on the right one my class comes through!”

The South African Oaks may be only a Group 2 but the Duke Of Marmalade-sired Rain In Holland had no problem landing the odds and completing the Triple Tiara of Guineas, Classic and Oaks.

PROSPECTS look good for the National Yearling Sale on April 28th and 29th with sharp rises having been seen at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale and other sales this year.

Leading bloodstock agent John Freeman said in a recent letter to clients: “The increase in yearling prices over the past four sales reflects the shortage of horses in our market. Depending on which of the NHA stats you read, there were between 31% and 45% fewer mares registered in 2021 compared to 2018 and 43% fewer stallions. Our broodmare band has declined by an average of 400 mares per year for the last four years.”

Racecourse attendances

ATTENDANCES at racecourses will continue to be limited to 50% of capacity (and proof of vaccination) despite President Ramaposa ending the state of national disaster in a television address on Monday evening. Sadly crowds reach nothing near 50% at all but a handful of race meetings each year.