Upping the Ante : O’Brien’s stable staff strife not reflected in Goodwood Cup hope

Mike de Kock, who trained quite a few horses once with Aidan O’Brien, was a surprising inclusion in recent racing news in the northern hemisphere.

Easily the most recognised trainer in South Africa, de Kock revealed that he was considering quitting, arising from the flames of a strike causing the cancellation of races at the Vaal racecourse last month.

The industrial action was mainly the work of grooms and left him shaken. According ...