Mathew de Kock returns home: A new era beckons

Mathew de Kock, son of legendary trainer Mike de Kock, has wrapped up his four-year training partnership with Robbie Griffiths in Cranbourne, Australia. Mathew will soon return to South Africa to join forces with his father in the launch of a new training partnership.

M and M de Kock will operate from both Randjesfontein in Johannesburg and Summerveld in Durban for a powerful collaboration on home turf. Mathew’s impending return is also aligned with the stable’s long-term objective of reclaiming its position as a competitor on the international racing stage.

Mathew (33), and his wife Monique emigrated to Australia in 2020 to broaden their knowledge and skill set. Their son Liam was born in 2022 and daughter Olivia followed just recently. Mathew said: “The move back to South Africa is obviously a major one for Monique and I, and several factors have played a part in our decision. The over-riding reason is that our family dynamic has changed and that we’d like to be closer to family and friends.”

Mathew described his Australian venture as “very humbling, with friendships and memories made that will be carried fondly with us wherever we go”. The Griffiths/De Kock partnership was highly successful, yielding close to 250 winners (including 12 stakes winners). The partnership occupied a regular Top 10 position on the Victorian Trainers’ Log, a remarkable achievement considering Victoria has over 800 registered trainers.

“We’ll be forever grateful to Robbie and Shiranee Griffiths for the opportunity they gave us to join their established business. We have learnt much working alongside them and will be taking the knowledge we have gained back to South Africa with us. They have been fantastic and understanding of our decision.”

Mathew shared that, initially, he’ll be based full-time at De Kock racing’s Randjesfontein barn while Mike oversees operations from Summerveld. However, they’re keeping their plans flexible. “We’ll be able to devote quality time to our horses at both centres, and eventually, we’ll consider a satellite string in Cape Town,” he revealed.

Mathew is confident that settling back into SA won’t be too challenging. “Every time I visited over the past few years, it still felt like home. My main priorities will be to get back into the swing of things and to attend various sales to acquire new horses. We already have a promising group of young horses, but we’ll be looking to grow the stable to remain competitive,” he explained. He’s also excited to rekindle connections with former patrons and friends in this next chapter. “I am thankful to the South Africans who bought horses for me and took up shares in horses while I was in Australia.”

He believes that Australia is the most competitive racing centre in the world. “Overall, the most challenging and enriching aspects were settling in as a young trainer in a new country, overcoming numerous challenges and obstacles along the way. But we did it, we made a success of the venture and we’re stronger and wiser for the experience. I’ll be able to carry this knowledge forward into other racing jurisdictions in the future.”

Mathew, who started the Onamission Syndicate in 2016 and enjoyed a reasonable amount of success before his departure, said that he’d gained an insight and had some fresh ideas on syndication, a massive enterprise in the Australian racing fraternity. “Aside from my customary duties I will be focusing on communication with clients and engaging with the media, which are two aspects of the business which were very professionally executed in Australia,” he said.

Mike de Kock, who has 141 Grade/Group 1 winners and around 3,800 career winners to his name, said that he’d come close to retiring just a few months ago. He explained: “I was on the verge of retiring, but Mat’s decision has given me a new lease on life. He is a top trainer in his own right, most capable of taking over from me in due course.

“For now, I am postponing retirement. Mat is ambitious, young and talented. We are able to continue the De Kock legacy, and he’ll start off with more than I did when I was his age. I will eventually take a back seat, oversee the transition and, if all goes well, help him to set up yards in other parts of the world so we can compete in suitable races. From what I’ve seen recently from SA-breds in the US, our horses are not too far off the higher world ranks, even after the period of relative isolation. This is an exciting turning point for our family.” - mikedekockracing.com