Riff Rocket put a stamp on the champion 3-year-old stayer title when leaving his opponents without an excuse in Saturday’s Sky Racing Rosehill Guineas (2000m).
Ridden by Nash Rawiller for Chris Waller, the son of American Pharoah was back in the second half of the field on straightening. Maneuvered to the centre of the track, Riff Rocket picked off runner after runner to win a shade cozily by three-quarters of a length from the Tavistock colt Ceolwulf with the Snitzel colt Cap Ferrat a neck back in third.
The winner of the Group 1 VRC Victoria Derby last spring, Riff Rocket advances his record to six wins, two seconds, and a third from ten starts with earnings of $2,216,125.
Initially, Chris Waller said the son of American Pharoah would miss the ATC Australian Derby in favour of the Australian Cup, but is having second thoughts.
“He’s a Derby winner and he’s a Rosehill Guineas winner, he’s showed touches of brilliance in between as well, so that was a pretty satisfying win today for the team,” Waller recounted.
“The draw was tricky; he had to come from a long way back, but Nash knew what he had under him, and he backed him for a solid finish, and that’s what he produced.”
“The Inghams are great to train for, it’s as simple as that. Debbie branched off on her own, with her family, and it really is special.
“They’re proud people as the whole family is and it’s a privilege to train for them.”
“I always thought about the Australian Cup, but I didn’t realise it was next week.
“I’m not sure. He only just won the Victoria Derby (over) 2500 metres, our Derby is 2400, so I guess it’s going to be hard not to (run) but we’ll just see what Nash says.”
Nash Rawiller said Riff Rocket had to do it the hard way.
“He’s done a wonderful job here today,” Rawiller said.
“It takes him a while to build and find it, but when we got to the furlong he surprised me how well he lengthened again, and that’s what those good stayers do.
‘I was probably three lengths further back than I wanted to be, which is where I’ve been the last two weeks, but the horse was able to keep balanced and he built into the race.
“I just used the horse to come into the race a little bit and to be fair he’s done the rest himself. It was just a great effort.”
A homebred for Debbie Kepitis’s Woppitt Bloodstock, Riff Rocket was foaled and raised at Coolmore and is the only winner from two to race for the Smart Missile mare Missile Coda, the winner of five of her 13 starts and runner-up to Savannah Amour in the Listed Hinkler Stakes at Doomben.
A $400,000 Magic Millions yearling, Missile Coda is out of the talented Lonhro mare Rain Melody, a three-quarter sister to I Believe (dam of multiple Group II winner and Group 1-placed Rain Affair and Listed winner Ranges), and a half-sister to Listed winner Walk Alone.
Missile Coda has a 2-year-old Nicconi filly named Codetta in the Michael Freedman stable. She was covered by Home Affairs last spring after missing to him in 2022.
