For many people, sport is a numbers game. For those in that category, try this on for size. When Randall Simons hit the wire on Soqrat in Saturday’s Cape Guineas, Mike de Kock hit a number in this country that will be hard to eclipse. His 118th grade1 win in three decades as a trainer means the following: He bettered the previous record of 117 held by the legendary Terrance Millard who retired in 1991. It is 12 more grade 1s than former champion David Payne, who won every grade 1 race in SA — including the 1972 Durban July with In Full Flight — before moving to Australia. The 70-year-old Payne saddled his 106th grade1 winner in Sydney in 2017. De Kock’s total is 27 more than the number of Grand Prix wins by Michael Schumacher. He won 91 and Lewis Hamilton’s tally is 73. De Kock is a keen golfer and his total is 100 more than Jack Nicklaus, who won 18 Majors. Commenting on his website, De Kock said: "Just to be mentioned in the same breath as Terrance Millard is good enough for me. W...
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