Unbeaten. Can Soft Falling Rain carry the flag?
With runners on a remarkable three continents on Saturday, multiple SA Champion trainer Mike de Kock will be looking for a big day and yet another unique record.
De Kock’s son Matthew brought the stable bakkie to the Equus Awards on Wednesday evening to carry away all the awards. Such is
Besides a first timer in the eighth race at Turffontein, he also saddles unbeaten UAE 2000 Guineas winner Soft Falling Rain, who will make his British debut in the £100,000 (R1.5-million) Gr 2 Betfred Hungerford Stakes at Newbury.
Later in the day, The Apache will compete in the Gr 1 Arlington Million at Arlington Park in Chicago.
The Apache completed his preparation for the race with a light piece of work under work rider Phil Shea at the track on Wednesday morning.
“He won’t be doing any more work before the race, all is well and he is race-ready,” said assistant trainer Steven Jell, who prepared The Apache at De Kock’s Newmarket, UK, base.
Jell added: “The Apache improved several lengths after finishing fourth in his preparation run at York on 27 July. He should give a good account of himself.”
He will be drawn No 10 for the big race.
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Soft Falling Rain, a son of National Assembly, has won all seven of his starts and the South African-bred colt comes into tomorrow’s Hungerford Stakes as a potential flagship horse for owner Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum.
De Kock now operates his European string of horses from Mary Slack’s Abingdon Place stables in Newmarket and Soft Falling Rain has been settling in following a period in quarantine.
Richard Hills, assistant racing manager to Sheikh Hamdan, said: “He had a hard race at the World Cup so we’ve brought him along slowly and Mike has given him plenty of time since he came out of quarantine.
“Nothing went right for him in the Godolphin Mile – he was drawn wide and it was a rough race – but he showed a great attitude and he’s a really exciting horse.”
Hills himself won the race in 1998 for Sheikh Hamdan with Muhtathir and the former jockey believes that the 1400m race at the Berkshire venue is the ideal starting point for the four-year-old.
“We had thought about Royal Ascot or the July Cup but it just came a bit too soon and the Hungerford looks the perfect race for him at the right time. Seven furlongs (1400m) should be ideal.
“He’s a Group 1 winner over five and a half furlongs (1100m) but obviously his last two wins have come over a mile (1600m) so he’s a very adaptable horse.
“We haven’t got any firm plans for the future but he’ll tell us on Saturday where we go next.”
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