Fastnet Rock’s stakes winning son El Roca is certainly making a name for himself as a sire, and last weekend highlighted the prominence the stallion has risen to in recent years.
El Roca has already sired the Group 1 winners Travelling Light and Romancing the Moon, and has also created a huge following in the wealthy international structure of Hong Kong racing, having had 7 runners in the colony for 6 winners including Group 2 winning sprinter Lucky Patch.
Last weekend El Roca’s daughter Flash Mary scored a dominant victory in the A$100,000 Pinker Pinker Plate at Cranbourne for New Zealand based owners Bob & Dee Black and LG Black, AP MacGillivay and SE McGiffert. A $9,000 purchase for her owners, Flash Mary has won 4 races and been Group 2 placed as a 3YO and her stake earnings are just shy of A$200,000 with plenty of upside still to come after winning over 2000m on Friday evening.
The following day El Roca was represented by a further two winners on the Hastings card when Canheroc gave further evidence he can be a worthy campaigner for the summer Cups races for Cambridge trainer Chris Wood when he won over 2200m with plenty in hand, while the very progressive Navigator returned to the track after a four month layoff to win very easily for Matamata trainer Cody Cole. Ryan Elliot gave Navigator a lovely run behind the speed before he surged through a gap to take the lead with 150m to run and scored an impressive victory.
The same stable produced a further winner by El Roca at Tauranga on Wednesday as the well supported Mesa Verde bolted clear under Opie Bosson to win by 5.5 lengths at just her second start and is another by the stallion who has a bright future.
El Roca has 16 Lots catalogued for the upcoming Ready to Run Sale and a number of these breezed up very well at Te Rapa earlier in the week.