Three year-old Deep Field colt Rock Empire might not have the most sales commercial of female families, but ability and good looks are plentiful and he showed that when racing to an easy debut victory at Randwick on Wednesday for the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable.
Two good recent barrier trials saw Rock Empire start favourite in the 1300m maiden against some very expensive colts and he delivered on potential. The handsome bay raced outside the leader for Adam Hyeronimus and kicked away to win as he pleased by three lengths.
“He’s a really exciting colt and I’d like to thank his breeder Kerrie Patterson for giving him to us to train,” said Adrian Bott.
“He’s always shown ability, but was a big raw colt that has taken time to grow into himself.
“We haven’t planned too far ahead as we just wanted to get past today first, but he’s the sort of colt you would like to aim up at some Black Type races although for now we’ll go through our grades.”
Retained to race by his breeder, Rock Empire is the second winner from King’s Ballet (NZ), a minor winning Danehill Dancer (IRE) mare that traces back to an imported family featuring US Group I winning sire Frost Giant.
King’s Ballet has a two year-old filly called Lunar Lux, by Deep Field’s Group II winning son Cosmic Force and she too has been retained by the Patterson family and sent to Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
