De Kock headed back to South Africa

The Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock training partnership is nearing its conclusion with the latter set to return home to South Africa.

Stable clients were on Tuesday advised of the impending change in set-up to the successful Cranbourne stable with de Kock’s name to set to disappear from Australian formguides at the end of this year.

The 33-year-old cited the desire to be closer to family as the main factor in his decision.

“When (now wife) Monique and I moved over to Australia we were just a single couple, not sure what to expect coming on an adventure, and since being here we’ve had Liam, who is 2-1/2 years old now and Olivia, who is four weeks old,” de Kock told RSN927.

“It just became increasingly difficult to be away from family, and the family are not looking like they’re coming here, so we had to make the decision.

“It was a really hard one, but I think it’s what’s best for us as a family.”

De Kock will form a training partnership with his father Mike, a legend in South Africa, with a view to taking over when he retires.

“I’ve been very fortunate to move here and fit into Robbie and Shiranee’s life and I’m extremely fortunate now that I can make this decision and know that I can go home and fit back in to where I was before.

“I’ll be working for my dad, except now we’ll be doing it together with my name in the book together, and when he is ready to retire, which is not long away, I’ll just take over the reins from him.”

De Kock and Griffiths were in the winner’s stall at Flemington on Champions Day with current stable star Rey Magnerio, who finished a narrow second in the Group 3 Rising Fast Stakes on Derby Day.

The partnership’s biggest success together came in last year’s Group 2 Sandown Guineas with Serasana, while they also won Group 3s with Tobeornottobe, Halvorsen, Let’sbefrankbaby and King Magnus, the latter having also won Griffiths’ hometown Cranbourne Cup in 2021.