De Kock and Gold face tough task deciding Hawwaam’s long-term future
Highly regarded three-year-old colt ‘held back by politics’
Trainer Mike de Kock and Angus Gold, racing manager for Sheikh Hamdan, have put their heads together to make important decisions in the past — now they face another in determining the future of star three-year-old Hawwaam. After the colt’s decisive victory in Saturday’s SA Classic at Turffontein, De Kock is in no doubt about Hawwaam’s ability. Commenting on the stable website, he said: “We have a horse here who is good enough to race against the best. “Unfortunately, the industry is being held back by quarantine protocols. It is being held back by politics, not science. It is politics which is preventing SA — with our massive racing industry — to bring the world our thoroughbreds.” It appears the EU is again dragging its feet on the protocol issue despite SA doing everything possible to meet their every demand. According to Turftalk, De Kock and Gold have decided to bypass the SA Derby — the third leg of the Triple Crown — and the Vodacom Durban July for which the colt was generally...
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