News - EL ROCA (AUS)
The $250,000 Group III Tibbie Stakes (1400m) at Newcastle on Friday delivered another big race win for popular trainer Bjorn Baker and leading rider Rachel King with talented El Roca mare Perfumist scoring a dominant victory.
Group One performer Lollapalooza will be looking to get her campaign back on track when she heads to Ellerslie on Saturday to contest the Trackside.co.nz 1600.
There was a positive sense of déjà vu for Ohoka trainer Samantha Wynne at Riccarton on Saturday, when her last-start winners Honor The Name and Shawshank went back-to-back.
Shawshank’s winning streak may have come to an end at Riccarton last Saturday, but he redeemed himself when bouncing back to score a gritty victory at the Christchurch track seven days later in the Vernon Vazey & Truck Parts Open (1400m).
High-quality performer Lollapalooza has proved herself at the highest level and connections are hopeful she will get opportunities in the spring to advance her record.
Swiss Prince will make an earlier than anticipated return to action at Te Rapa where the Group winner resumes in age group company.
For the second year in a row, winter racing has brought the best out of talented New Zealand-bred gelding Stop The Rock, who scored an 80-to-one shock win in Saturday’s A$130,000 Sportsbet Feed Handicap (1700m) at Caulfield.
Promising three-year-old Wine Rocs indicated there are more wins in store in his current campaign as he produced a sustained finish to claim victory in the Elsdon Park 1400 at Ellerslie.
In form gelding Atmospheric was in rarefied air at Otaki on Friday when he broke through for a deserved maiden stakes victory in the Listed Jennian Homes ANZAC Mile (1600m).
Westbury Stud duo Tarzino and El Roca were represented by a winning double at northern headquarters to successfully open and close the Ellerslie card.
Central Districts gelding Enrico was rewarded for his consistency when taking home a big winner’s cheque following his victory in Saturday’s $350,000 Comag Wairere Falls (1500m) at Matamata.
Queensland trainer Liam Birchley continued his great association with the TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) when recording his third win in the juvenile feature at Ellerslie on Saturday.
Queensland trainer Liam Birchley is no stranger to success in the richest two-year-old race in New Zealand, the $1million TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m), and he is hoping to replicate the winning feeling next weekend as he prepares to line-up a pair of quality fillies in the Ellerslie dash for cash.
Graham Richardson and Rogal Norvall’s star filly Lollapalooza is set to be joined in the Gr.2 Hallmark Stud Eight Carat Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day by her rapidly emerging stablemate Fleeting Star.
Trainer Liam Birchley has long earmarked the Listed TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) for highly promising juvenile Dream Roca, and the daughter of El Roca took another step in the direction of the Ellerslie feature with a dominant win at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Matamata trainer Graham Richardson views Saturday’s Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) as a wide-open contest and is hoping Lollapalooza can be right in the thick of the $600,000 prize.
A sensational few weeks for Stephen Marsh’s three-year-olds kept rolling on at Tauranga on Saturday when Swiss Prince led home a quinella for the Cambridge trainer in the Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m).
Lollapalooza went into Saturday’s Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie as a maiden, but she came out of it as one of the leaders of her generation and the clear favourite for the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m).
Sunshine Law was not the only Inglis Digital success story to come out of the Rosehill meeting on Saturday with two contenders for this year’s $2million Kosciuszko also giving connections cause to dream big and one of them is an unbeaten mare with a Black Type pedigree.
Dubbo-trained Elson Boy was back in the winner’s circle after a 412-day absence when leading throughout to land the Jockeys Celebration Day Handicap (1400m) at Rosehill in the hands of apprentice William Stanley.