🎙️ The Direct Line Podcast - Episode 16 | Mike and Mathew De Kock

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In Episode 16 of the Direct Line Podcast, we sit down with horse racing trainer, Mike De Kock and son, Mathew De Kock. Mike de Kock (born February 14, 1964) is a South African racehorse trainer. He currently holds the South African record for most Grade 1 wins by a trainer, with 139. He has trained over 3,600 winners, who have won in South Africa, UAE, Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the US. De Kock has been champion trainer eight times.He has trained 133 Grade 1 winners, 148 Grade 2 winners, and 98 Grade 3 winners. On 27 July 2025, de Kock was inducted into the South African Hall of Fame for his achievements and contributions to the sport of horse racing in South Africa. Mathew de Kock—the son of legendary trainer Mike de Kock is confident that settling back into SA won’t be too challenging. “Every time I visited over the past few years, it still felt like home. My main priorities will be to get back into the SWING OF THINGS and to attend various sales to acquire new horses. We already have a promising group of young horses, but we’ll be looking to grow the stable to remain competitive,” he explained. He’s also excited to rekindle connections with former patrons and friends in this next chapter. “I am thankful to the South Africans who bought horses for me and took up shares in horses while I was in Australia.” He believes that Australia is the most competitive racing centre in the world. “Overall, the most challenging and enriching aspects were settling in as a young trainer in a new country, overcoming numerous challenges and obstacles along the way. But we did it, we made a success of the venture and we’re stronger and wiser for the experience. I’ll be able to carry this knowledge forward into other racing jurisdictions in the future.” Mathew, who started the Onamission Syndicate in 2016 and enjoyed a reasonable amount of success before his departure, said that he’d gained an insight and had some fresh ideas on syndication, a massive enterprise in the Australian racing fraternity. “Aside f