Star Sprinter Rocks Flemington Again

For the second time this year, a kiwi sprinter who could have been bought for only $40,000 at Karaka has landed one of Melbourne’s greatest sprints. 

Roch ‘N’ Horse (NZ) (Per Incanto) stole the show in Saturday’s A$3m Group One Darley Champions Sprint (1200m) at Flemington – the same course and distance as her famous victory in the A$1.5m Group One Newmarket Handicap (1200m) in March.

Racing in the colours of her breeders and part-owners Little Avondale Stud, Roch ‘N’ Horse has now had 18 starts for five wins, six second placings and A$2,976,645 in prizemoney – more than 80 times her reserve when she was offered at Karaka 2018.

Roch ‘N’ Horse had gone winless in four starts since her Newmarket triumph in the autumn, but she had shown good signs with runner-up finishes in the Group Two Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200m) and Gilgai Stakes (1200m) in her two previous appearances. Trainer Mike Moroney got her to Flemington on Saturday at fever pitch, and despite being overlooked at 20-to-one odds, the quality chestnut delivered again.

Ridden by Jamie Mott, Roch ‘N’ Horse sat just in behind the leaders until the 300-metre mark, and when the big guns began to up the ante, she responded in style.

Quality sprinters lined up across the track to make their bids for glory – including champion Nature Strip (Nicconi) and The Everest (1200m) winner Giga Kick (Scissor Kick) – but Roch ‘N’ Horse topped them all.

She outkicked, outfought and outsprinted an elite field of speedsters, reaching the finish line a short neck in front of Nature Strip.

“A great performance by all my staff and my vets because she’s not the easiest at times, but she’s a very good mare,” Moroney said. “We knew it was no fluke, the Newmarket, and we were happy to take them on today.

“She’s got a really good turn of foot, but not a long, long one. She gutsed it out today though, as she did in the Newmarket.

“This was a great effort. She just kept coming and hanging on, and for a while there I thought they were going to sprint away from her, but she just hung on to them and really bulldogged to the finish.

“She was fresh today, and she’s better on the fresh side. You learn more about them as you go along, and I certainly learned more about this mare today.

“What a great job Pam Gerard (Moroney’s New Zealand training partner) did with this mare. She sent her over mature, and she came at the right time. There was a sense of timing when she came over for the Newmarket. It was perfect, and she has gone on with it.”

Roch ‘N’ Horse became the third horse in the last decade to do the Newmarket-Champions Sprint double, joining Bivouac (Exceed And Excel) and the legendary Black Caviar (Bel Esprit).

“This is truly what dreams are made of,” said Mott, who had his first ride on Roch ‘N’ Horse in Saturday’s sprint showpiece.

“I was lucky enough to get my first Group One only a month ago, and to think I’m here on Champions Day, going past Nature Strip – I can’t believe it.

“All the talk was on Nature Strip and Giga Kick, and our girl had done nothing wrong. She’s a very good mare. She was kind of overlooked a little bit, but how tough is she?

 “I must say I feel sorry for Patrick Moloney. He’s done all the work on this mare and he’s won a Group One on her himself, and he got suspended during the week. Unfortunate for him, but that’s racing. I was lucky enough that Mike and the connections gave me the opportunity, and what a wonderful mare she is. She’s small and she’s tough.

“I had no cover from the 650, but once she came under pressure, she responded well. The deeper we got into the straight, the stronger she got. I had a look over at the 150 and I was like, ‘I’ve got this big boy done’.”

Vendor	Little Avondale Stud
Breeding	Per Incanto – Rochfort
Sale	Lot 974, Karaka 2018 Book 2, Psd (Res $40,000)
Bred by	Little Avondale Trust