Archipenko lifts Summer Mile
Archipenko: Convincing Summer Mile winner
WHEN an overseas-based trainer enjoys a first winner in Britain, they usually need some kind of introduction.
Not so with Mike de Kock, the South African-based trainer whose exploits in Dubai have already made him a familiar figure to British- and Irish-based viewers of the dedicated racing channels.
It was one of his Nad Al Sheba winners, Archipenko, who provided the trainer with his landmark win, the 12-1 shot landing the £100,000 Plymouth Gin Summer Mile at Ascot under Kevin Shea.
After striking the front just over two furlongs out, the four-year-old battled on gamely to repel 50-1 chance Barshiba and last year's winner Cesare, by three-quarters of a length and a neck.
Though Ramonti's connections warned he would needthe run, the Godolphin horse was a trifle disappointing in fifth, finishing behind Pressing.
"I owe Archipenko a lot - he is a fantastic horse," said de Kock. "There's improvement to come, I fully believe that."
British racegoers, though, might have to wait until later in the year to see for themselves whether the four-year-old can step up from yesterday's Group 2 success.
"I've left him in the Sussex Stakes, but I'm thinking of Chicago and the Arlington Million - that's the immediate mission," said de Kock.
"Archipenko is a very intelligent horse, and I must thank John Magnier for giving us the chance to purchase him. I'd also like to thank British racecourses for the unbelievable hospitality they've shown us, plus the International Racing Bureau, and Geoff Wragg and his staff."
De Kock has 20 horses based at Wragg's in Newmarket to campaign in Britain and the rest of Europe, but yesterday he revealed Dubai Sheema Classic heroine Sun Classique - who had been a leading fancy for the King George may have sustained a career-ending injury.
"She strained a tendon when galloping with Archipenko and it's obviously career-threatening," he said.
"I can't say what the future holds. She is going to a rehab centre in Oxford on Monday and they reckon that it takes between eight and 16 weeks to get a prognosis. She was going to run in the Falmouth."
Shea, winning his second race in Britain, said: "I shook him up and away he went, but I thought, 'Oh God, I have gone too early'. He's got a big heart."
Ramonti may not have been able to strike a blow but his rider Frankie Dettori was not desponndent. He said: "We have got him out. We knew he wasn't fit and he wouldn't like the ground, but he'll be race-fit now."
Richard Quinn saidof runner-up Barshiba: "She got a little bit keen when the winner came round me on the turn and lent on me a bit, but she ran all the way to the line."
Cesare's rider Jamie Spencer said: "You can set your clock by him, as he runs the same race every time, but I was a bit disappointed he emptied on me and lost second."
Cesare's trainer James Fanshawe added: "I do not want to take anything away from the winner, who's a good horse. I have always thought that Cesare wanted some give in the ground, but actually if you look at his best form - the Hunt Cup win, and his Queen Anne fourth - it is always on quick ground.
"He has run well but, like his trainer, he is not getting any younger."
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