De Kock Racing back in Dubai with 'Global Stable'

In an exciting development, De Kock Racing is set to reopen its Dubai stable for the 2026/2027 Dubai Racing Carnival as part of the new Global Stable initiative. The long-term vision is to return South African thoroughbreds to the global marketplace while also sourcing quality horses from other racing jurisdictions to compete in the Middle East, with an eventual eye on the United States. The USA is of particular interest for South African-bred turf performers, who have demonstrated that they can compete at the highest level while racing for its massive prize money.

As the team develops its South African racing prospects, the plan is to supplement the stable with quality imports to get the operation off to a competitive start in year one – and the project is already off and running with its first purchase.

Vermaak Equine recently announced the acquisition of three-year-old Colorado Del Monte (ARG), a dual Group 1-winner in Argentina. The athletic grey colt was purchased for Hollywood Racing and is set to spearhead a new chapter for De Kock Racing in Dubai, the scene of the stable’s remarkable success between 2003 and 2020.

Justin Vermaak, who will play a recruitment role, said that the new ‘Global Stable’ has as its main objective the promotion of South African thoroughbred bloodstock on the international stage. It has strategic start-up support from South African interests including Hollywood Racing and Laurence Wernars, but will be open to all owners wishing to race their top horses for some of the highest prize monies on the globe.

Vermaak commented:  “We aim to create a sustainable international racing programme centred initially on Dubai, while providing pathways into the wider Middle East and selected international jurisdictions, including the United States.

“Hollywood Racing are developing a fantastic string of horses in South Africa. They have purchased high-quality yearlings in the last two years which included imported groups from Australasia and Argentina. It is a matter of time before they have a conveyor belt of options to send to Dubai.

“Laurence Wernars and his family have taken a similarly global outlook with their acquisition of Klawervlei Stud, with plans to build an internationally focused breeding enterprise featuring a diverse stallion roster and a select band of broodmares. The aim is to establish a nursery producing yearlings of genuine international quality, replenished over time by quality fillies and mares coming off the racetrack.

“With an abundance of top-level horses already coming through the ranks, that pool can only grow as we move towards 2027, leaving the Global Stable with plenty of options to choose from for its second year at the 2027/28 Carnival. The backing of these two formidable racing operations is a testament to their conviction in our horses and in De Kock Racing.”

While these runners are being developed, the Global Stable is tapping into international prospects to bolster its numbers in year one. Vermaak has been hard at work for the Hollywood team in tandem with Anthony Delpech and De Kock Racing. A team trip to Argentina in March led to the purchase of a string of yearlings, now two-year-olds, which will be raced in Argentina with the intention of exporting the best of them to the Middle East.

Vermaak said: “Having the Argentinian feeder stable along with the South African operation it will create competitive depth across both turf and dirt surfaces in Dubai. We’ll be drawing horses from South Africa (predominantly Turf performers) and Argentina (predominantly Dirt performers), supplemented by targeted acquisitions at leading international breeze-up and horses in training sales.

“Success on the international front will reignite worldwide demand for South African thoroughbreds and help open the most attainable export market for our type of racehorse – the Middle East. Once the operation is firmly in place, we will look to expand into the United States, where there is a massive market for quality turf horses.

“There are already encouraging recent examples of South African-breds performing at the highest level in the US and Canada, including Gimme A Nother, One Stripe and Isivunguvungu.”

Colorado Del Monte (ARG) is an exciting and versatile prospect. He is a son of Strategos (Zensational), himself a multiple Group 1 winning Argentine champion who successfully combined blistering sprint speed with middle-distance stamina.  

Strategos was voted Argentina’s Best Sprinter in 2020. He dominated across distances ranging from 1000m to 2000m before retiring to stud at champion breeders Haras El Paraíso in La Luisa, Buenos Aires.

Colorado Del Monte’s dam, Seductive Voice (Sebi Halo) represents one of the most prolific and dependable speed-and-mile influences in modern Argentine racing.

Argentina Turf Magazine noted: “With three wins from four starts, Colorado Del Monte continues to build an outstanding record. His ability to dominate from the front and maintain control all the way to the finish makes him a colt of enormous potential, with every indication that he can remain a major force in the leading races for his generation over the intermediate distances.”

Vermaak pointed out that Colorado Del Monte actually won all four of his starts, but was demoted to third in the Group 1 Gran Premio Montevideo following an objection. “He won that race convincingly, but he hung out at the end of the race which is something they are very strict on in Argentina.”

Colorado Del Monte’s race videos attest to the fact that he is getting better with every run, and the replay of the Gran Premio Montevideo shows just how unlucky he was not to be a three-time Group 1 winner.” Click here, and scroll to the bottom of the page to view.

Vermaak added: “As a two-year-old, Colorado Del Monte started on dirt in the Gran Premio Montevideo and then switched to turf winning the Group 1 Estrellas Juvenile, before his recent three-year-old success in the Group 1 Dos Mil Guineas.

“His versatility between surfaces is one of the reasons we bought him, but if he doesn’t take to the Meydan dirt or goes the trip, he can run in the Jumeirah Three-Year-old Series after that – three races on turf over 1400m, 1600m and 1800m with good prize money.

“His versatility also makes the USA is a very realistic target for Colorado Del Monte post the 2027 Dubai Carnival. There is a longer-term plan for him, targeting selected races on the American turf calendar. We already have established relationships with internationally respected US trainers such as Graham Motion.”

Mike de Kock remains firm in his belief that the South African thoroughbred is one of the country’s finest export products. “Our horses are capable of holding their own anywhere, and with the new Global Stable we have an opportunity to get them back in view of the racing world.

“The new export protocols allow horses destined for Dubai to travel via France and/or the EU, which reduces transit and quarantine time by approximately two months compared with previous protocols. It also brings Mary Slack’s Abington Place at Newmarket back into play for us.

“It has been  problematic to get the top South African horses to join us in the current market, but owners need to remember that the Global Stable will be a facilitator like we were for owners with the best horses in the past, including Variety Club, Lizzard’s Desire and Sun Classique. We are presently looking at a number of SA-breds to join the stable.”

De Kock is excited about Colorado Del Monte and said: “We have been looking for a decent dirt horse for a while. We had amazing runners from South America who won many top races including Asiatic Boy, Honour Devil and Lundy’s Liability. Our new buy is a versatile horse makes this re-launch of our Dubai operation even more exciting.”