Karaka Trifecta in Rich Hill Mile

On The Rocks (NZ) (Alamosa) headed a Karaka trifecta in the $100,000 Group 2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day.

Bought for $40,000 at the 2016 Select Sale, On The Rocks beat home the $100,000 Premier Sale purchase Tiptronic (NZ) (O’Reilly) by three-quarters of a length. Third-placed The Mitigator (Master Of Design) was passed during the 2016 Ready To Run Sale.

On The Rocks was one of New Zealand’s leading three-year-olds last season, winning the Group 2 Avondale Guineas (2100m) and Listed Trevor Eagle Memorial (1500m) and placing in the Group 2 Auckland Guineas (1600m).

Up against a quality Rich Hill Mile field with just one lead-up run under his belt, On The Rocks produced a withering finish out wide for an emphatic win. Tiptronic made up good late ground for second, just ahead of the gallant front-runner The Mitigator.

Trained by Mike Moroney and Pam Gerard for a large group of owners, On The Rocks has now had 10 starts for four wins, two placings and $190,575 in stakes. He was bought at Karaka by Moroney’s brother Paul.

“I thought it was a really great win,” Mike Moroney said. “He’s not very big, but he has got a giant stride on him. He has always been that way. I think he is a really under-rated horse.”

On The Rocks is still an entire, and connections will attempt to further enhance his value with Group 1 tilts in the Thorndon Mile (1600m) and Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) in coming weeks.