"I don't particularly like racing. I like horses. But I'd much rather be playing golf on race day."
Not an unusual statement, except when it comes from Mike de Kock, South Africa's leading international race horse trainer. De Kock, who runs stables in Johannesburg and satellite facilities in Durban, the UK and United Arab Emirates, was in Hong Kong to race Eagle Mountain in the International Races' Hong Kong Cup, the 2 000 m event he won in 2008.
This time prospects looked a little different after a ligament injury earlier that year in Dubai, and a long, slow recovery process. After laying him off completely, De Kock used a combination of treadmill-training (at a 6% inclination), swimming and track work to get him back. "He's got incredible healing powers. He's sound now. We're about a month short of our very best. If he runs under the first five and comes out of it well, I think it's fantastic," he says.
Often described as "difficult", which translated usually means: "I know what I want," he is not a man to mince his words. Refreshing, in an environment that seems to involve a lot of pussy-footing around big egos.
Then again, you don't get to have an average of 79 wins per season (since 1988), have every possible significant award heaped on you (19 in total), and most of all maintain an holistic approach to horse training, by pleasing everyone. We spoke about what makes a good racehorse trainer, egos in the business, prejudice against South Africa, and horses jumping over mountains.
The horse comes first
"I think I've been successful because I haven't come in with a clouded view. I don't come from a racing family ... a father and a grandfather ... that sort of thing. I've always put the horse first. There's a saying that a horseman will feed his horse before he feeds himself. I've had a million fights with many people because I've got a vision of where I want to go and I will not tolerate people's egos. I've always viewed myself as the coach and that's my athlete and he must get the best. Whether its mentally, physically, whatever. "
De Kock's ambitions have often let him to uncharted, stormy waters, such as the acquisition of boxes in Dubai. He wasn't the favourite for the job, he says, but the nightmarish logistics of moving horses across geographical borders and those in peoples' minds, sifted out other hopefuls.
"I've travelled horses everywhere. It's a hair-raising business. They get a temperature for nothing. Respiratory infections can happen quickly. Ulcers can be a problem, so you cover that with gastro-guard antibiotics just in case. You've got to keep them well-hydrated, well-fed and calm. They're in a confined space for 8 to 12 hours.
"Actually, there are very few horses that will give you trouble. If they've gotten that far, if they've been in a ring with 10 000 people screaming ... I mean, to overcome all of that, they must be quite resilient."
Of imports and disease
Much more challenging, and maybe a bit annoying, is dealing with the red tape. Importing a horse to Dubai, for instance, means two months in quarantine, one in Cape Town and one in an EU-country, before entry is allowed.
"There's this big dreaded disease called African Horse Sickness, which is non-contagious. Now, in my opinion, if a horse spent 30 days in quarantine in Cape Town and survived, he ain't got AHS ... and we do DNA testing before we leave, to see if the disease is active in body. Half of the quarantine regulations are just to satisfy the human mind, if you ask me.
"We don't have the same health status, so we can't train together. But we can walk in the same parade ring, stand together afterwards, blowing air all over each other. I don't know. I am quite happy to fly in on anyone's rules. As long as I can exercise my horse. But I do think we're being acted prejudiced against in South Africa, because of AHS. It's much easier for horses from EU-countries to travel."
Among the best
But adapting to the limitations of your situation, using it to your advantage, that's what South Africans are good at, he says in a moment of unbridled patriotism.
"Have a look. South African jockeys can stand their ground against the best in the world. We haven't been spoiled. We've had to deal with what we got. Especially in terms of facilities. For example, in England they would spend on one track what we spend on the whole country's tracks. Still, we have horsemen and veterinary specialists that are way above average."
For him it has meant keeping a long-term perspective on the horses he trains. To use the Dubai-example again: "If an English trainer decides he wants to go to Dubai, he can be there in six days. I've got to decide in June or July which horses I want to race there in February. That long-term view, you know – so much can go wrong. The horse can get sick, or the horse is not as good as you thought it would be.
"And even then you're not allowed to call him a piece of crap. I had an old trainer who said you should never tell a horse that. That horse might be a champion showjumper. He might not be able to run, but he might be able to jump over mountains."
Race horse owners
Some of his biggest clients include Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa (the owner of Eagle Mountain), a member of the royal family, and the Oppenheimer's daughter, Mary Slack.
"Let's face it. Why do 90% of the people who own race horses have them? It's a bit of a pat on the back. I always say, if anything goes wrong, don't think about you and your ego, think firstly about the person who looks after that horse. The groom – how hard do you think it is for him? That's his income; that's his life.
"Then there's the assistant trainer, the jockey, the farrier. We're all disappointed along the line. We live off that horse. You don't – the owner, I mean. It's like them losing a deal, or their factory burning down. And I try and train for those that have an understanding of that."
The SMS that comes through after the race (Eagle Mountain placed fifth) reads: "I think he ran fantastically. I'm very pleased."
