South African champion trainer Mike de Kock to start satellite yard in Australia

Mike de Kock, South Africa's most decorated trainer who recently questioned the future of his operation in the country because of the hostility of a grooms' strike, is setting up a satellite yard with his son Mathew in Australia.

De Kock said that his South African racing operation would remain the stable's main base "for the time being", to be employed as a platform to feed the Australian stable with horses from South Africa.

Speculation has swirled for weeks about the 55-year-old setting up a yard in Australia and, after visiting training sites across New South Wales and Victoria last month, De Kock will open a new base at Cranbourne during 2020.

"I can confirm officially that the club has offered Mike de Kock 50 boxes on course at the Cranbourne training complex and Mike has indicated that he will accept that offer," said Cranbourne Turf Club chief executive Neil Bainbridge.

"For somebody of Mike de Kock's standard to come to Victoria and base himself at Cranbourne is great news for everybody in the Victorian racing industry – it's a great vote of confidence.

"People like Brian Kroger and others are to be commended for the prize-money increases that have been afforded. Victorian racing really is a sought after place to race."

In June De Kock said he would be reducing his South African string by 40 per cent because of the effects of the grooms' strike in which he claimed to have been accused of racism and confronted by "300 weapon-wielding, threatening grooms".

De Kock said: "We are doing this as a pre-emptive move for our exports protocols opening up and are confident this will be happening soon. We have been doing things the other way around, focusing on importing horses from Australia.

"Soon we'll be exporting from South Africa at an exchange rate of roughly ten rand to the Australian dollar, which is a great opportunity and makes good business sense. We will also be supporting the Australian market as we have been doing."

De Kock said that Australian Racing and officials at Cranbourne have bent over backwards to accommodate the venture which could take up to 12 months to complete.

He said: "They have been unbelievably helpful. They are building us new stables with a number of other benefits included. The training facilities are excellent with everything from treadmills to good tracks.

"We've been going to Australia for a number of years and Mathew will soon be leaving to gain work experience in their industry, to pave the way. Australian racing is run in a very professional manner, they have great organisational acumen and integrity."

De Kock started his career in December 1987 and has trained 122 Group 1 winners since 1989. However the day that changed his training life was Dubai World Cup night in 2003 when claiming the Dubai Duty Free (Ipi Tombe) and UAE Derby (Victory Moon).

He has also won Group 1 races in Hong Kong and Singapore, but De Kock's most recent runner in Australia was in 2005 when Greys Inn finished tenth in the Cox Plate and 17th in the Melbourne Cup, with both races won by Makybe Diva.

However, Bainbridge confirmed the 50 boxes that will house De Kock-trained horses will be built from scratch while also reassuring trainers looking to relocate from Caulfield that there was still sufficient room.

"We know those Caulfield trainers are going through a difficult experience, not only in some cases are they relocating their business but also for some their families as well," Bainbridge said.

"We're here to help and assist for those Caulfield trainers who wish to come to Cranbourne. We're absolutely confident and we'll be able to accommodate them."

The Cranbourne training complex, which is Victoria's only purpose-built training facility, was opened in August 1990 and is currently home to approximately 750 to 800 horses and has four turf tracks for training only, in addition to the racecourse.

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