Precocious El Roca filly Roc ‘N’ Ready has booked her spot in the country’s richest two-year-old event.
The youngster was a more than willing partner for rider Samantha Wynne in testing conditions at Riccarton on Saturday to bank the $23,000 winner’s cheque and all paths now lead to Ellerslie in January.
“She’s got enough money now for the Karaka Millions, so let’s have a go,” trainer and part-owner Robert Dennis said.
A Westbury Stud graduate bred by farm principal Gerry Harvey, Roc ‘N’ Ready was making her second race day appearance following a debut fourth on the course a month ago.
“It’s a fantastic result for us, we’re on a roll and hopefully we can keep it going as we’re the South Island’s leading stable at the moment,” Dennis said.
“She copped a bit out of the barrier so she was really good, she wants to win and is a real racehorse.”
Roc ‘N’ Ready was squeezed at the start by runners inside and out and settled fifth in the small field before finishing determinedly to open her winning account over 800 metres.
“The filly did really well, she clipped heels and picked herself up and was strong to the line,” Wynne said.
Rock ‘N’ Ready was bought out of Westbury’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale at Karaka earlier this year by Dennis for $35,000.
The chestnut is a daughter of the late General Nediym mare Renediym, whose first foal Serein was also a two-year-old winner and finished runner-up in the Listed Welcome Stakes.
Renediym is a half-sister to the G3 Premier’s Cup winner Balzone and the Listed Wyong Cup winner Danyon and to the dam of the South African stakes winner and Group 1 performer Las Ramblas.
The Harvey-bred El Roca mare Dreamstone also landed another winning blow at Benalla on Sunday when she posted her third career victory, this time successful over 2100 metres for trainer and part-owner Debbie Delphin.
She is out of the Encosta De Lago mare Saffron Hill, who has an unraced El Roca juvenile filly, and is from the family of the Group 1 winners Bonanova, Telesto and Fraternity and the Westbury-bred Listed Champagne Stakes winner Illicit Dream.