Frozen Fire and Golden Sword join Mike De Kock By David Lawrence4.07PM 17 AUG 2009

FROZEN FIRE, winner of last year's Irish Derby, and Golden Sword, fifth behind Sea The Stars in this season's Epsom equivalent, have left Aidan O'Brien and will be joining Mike De Kock's growing team in Newmarket.

No details of their purchase were available on Monday, as the deal to buy them has only just been finalised, but Juan Nel, assistant to De Kock, confirmed that the two colts would be housed at the South African trainer's Abington Place base on the Bury Road and eventually raced in Dubai.

Nel said: "I know absolutely nothing aboutthe background to the purchases, but I can confirm that they will be joining  Mike and I am assuming, from what I've heard, that they'll be coming here to Newmarket to be trained."

Frozen Fire: disappointing in 2009
  PICTURE: Mark Cranham  

Frozen Fire has been disappointing this year, finishing a well-beaten seventh behind Conduit on his latest start in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, while Golden Storm, runner-up to O'Brien's Fame And Glory in the Irish Derby after his Epsom effort, came home fifth in the same Ascot event.

Golden Sword有潛力:fff: :fff:

Frozen Fire
我睇呢隻有幾大進步 :fff:
隻馬 :lll:

THE latest horses to join Mike de Kock’s team are Golden Sword and Frozen Fire. Formerly with Aidan O’Brien, both horses boast top-class racing form and pedigrees.

Golden Sword, who earlier in the season won the Gp3 Chester Vase, put up a top notch performance when fifth in the Investec Derby. Making all the running, the colt held on gamely to finish fifth, behind superstars Sea The Stars, Fame And Glory and Rip Van Winkle. All three horses have subsequently won Gp1 races, and Fame And Glory is a hot favourite to win another when he goes for the Irish Champion Stakes.

Golden Sword is a son of six time Gp1 winning champion High Chaparral. The latter is enjoying a fine year with his runners on the track and the son of Sadler’s Wells has been represented by 13 stakes horses in 2009 alone. Golden Sword’s dam, Sitara, is a half sister to Shouk, dam of champion Alexandrova (by Sadler’s Wells).

Frozen Fire won last year’s Irish Derby impressively. The colt produced a fine turn of foot to defeat his opposition easily. In second place was Casual Conquest, winner of the Gp1 Tattersalls Gold Cup.

Prior to his Irish Derby win, Frozen Fire had finished second to the top-class Tartan Bearer in the Gp2 Dante Stakes. Tartan Bearer subsequently finished a close second in the Epsom Derby behind champion New Approach.

Frozen Fire is a son of champion sire Montjeu. A six time Gp1 winner, Montjeu has sired over 60 stakes winners including two Epsom Derby winners, three Irish Derby winners, and an Arc winner.

Frozen Fire’s dam, Flamingo Sea, is a daughter of top broodmare sire and champion Woodman. Her dam, Fabula Dancer, produced five stakes horses, including German Oaks winner Flamingo Road.

Said De Kock: “We are delighted at these acquisitions, it is not every day one gets to train an Irish Derby winner or one that has finished close to a world superstar.''


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