May 11th, 2008

Like the majority of stallions in Queensland last spring Easy Rocking found it difficult to cover a mares due to the outbreak of equine influenza which had significant travel bans and at Doomben on Saturday his son Pepperwood claimed the Group Three Mittys Classic Plate (1615m) in awesome fashion.

Trained at Eagle Farm by Liam Birchley, the win had him thinking that Pepperwood could give him his first Queensland Derby runner.

Pepperwood has been plagued with poor barrier draws which has turned into bad luck for the three-year-old throughout his short 13-start career and other than his maiden win he had chalked up six placings with more than $140,000 in earnings.

Defying his sprinting pedigree, Birchley believes Pepperwood can extend his stamina and will line up in the Rough Habit Plate (2020m) at Doomben in his next run on May 24 and if all goes well he will push on to the Derby in June. 

"I won't say for sure he will go to the Derby until he shows me he can settle over the longer trip," Birchley told Sky Channel's Larry Olsen.  

"He's by Easy Rocking but he doesn't have the build of a sprinter, he's more in the mould of a stayer and I'll give him his chance to stay at his next few runs. 

Confidently ridden by Glen Colless, Pepperwood covered plenty of ground during the run but blew his rivals away when he sprinted at the top of the straight to win by a widening 2-1/4 lengths.  Next in was My Joliene (Admiralty - Del Monte by Hula Chief) with Formula One Racer (Anabaa - Primrose  Sands by Zabeel) another neck away in third. 

Pepperwood settled well for Colless and although he raced without cover he didn't pull and sprinted quickly when Colless asked him to go. 

Pepperwood is out of the unraced Woodman mare, Rhianna Louise and his win gives her her first stakes winner and second winner as Pepperwood has a full sister Inthemix a dual metropolitan winner with more than $80,000 in the bank.

Rhianna Louise is a daughter of Thunder Cat (by Marscay) a sister to Marskin (by Marscay), winner of the Group 3 AJC Gimcrack Stakes and dam of the stakes winning Donna Natalia (by Anabaa), who in turn is the dam of the stakes winning Setters Cove and Kidman's Cove.

June 10th, 2007

Toowoomba gelding Easy rocker grabbed his share of the prizemoney on offer on Stradbroke and Queensland Derby day at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Trained by Tony Gollan, Easy Rocker stormed down the outside to grab the B105 QTIS Hcp (1200m) by a head over Stolit (show a Heart - Regal Fair by Archregent) and Main Vein (Show a Heart - Masaafaat by Woodman) a neck away in third.

Easy Rocker (ex God's Prospect by Godswalk) had won four races until Saturday and the victory took his earnings past $76,000, a handy return against his purchase price as Gollan only paid $12,000 for him at the Magic Millions Summer Sale from the draft of Norwood Stud in 2005.

Easy Rocker is a son of Easy Rocking who stands at Wattle Brae Stud and his fee has been listed at $8,800 incl GST this spring.  Very reasonable considering Easy Rocking has sired 67 winners from 124 starters including a stakes winner and a stakes placegetter.  All up Easy Rocking's progeny have chalked up $2.1million in earnings.

May 29th, 2006

Easy Rocking's son Vocalic gave his backers a huge return when he scored a very tough win in the last race on the Doomben 10,000 card in the Gunsynd Quality (1200m) on Saturday.

Ridden by Glen Lynch who settled the son of Easy Rocking in third on the rail behind Dulacca Diva and Sir Monashee.  Without spending in petrol, Lynch was able to peel out from behind the early leaders to send Vocalic (ex Telltina by Semipalatinsk) home and score a good tough win over the fast finishing Mosso (Mossman - Little Rory by Rory's Jester).

The win was his third from 16-starts, he was purchased by his trainer, Ron Maund at the Magic Millions premier sale for $140,000 and has been given plenty of time by Maund to mature. 

March 19th, 2006

Toowoomba filly Inthemix will join trainer Ron Maund's Sydney team on a Group One Champagne Stakes (1600m) mission at Randwick next month following her explosive Eagle Farm win on Saturday.

Inthemix (ex Rhianna Louise by Woodman) was a maiden performer after five previous starts before finally delivering the goods for Maund with a half-length win over Wesley Manor (Show A Heart - Myrtle Beach by Bluebird) in the Transasia Pacific Projects Hcp (1300m).

Maund has big plans for Inthemix as he will set her for the Group One Champagne Stakes at Randwick on April 22. Maund already has a small team in Sydney for the autumn carnival with Street Smart, Pure Energy and Gold Edition there for black-type fillies and mares races.

"Inthemix will go down now to join them but some of the ones I've got there might come home soon," he said.

"There's black-type races on every week for fillies in Sydney and there's nothing up here for them right now."

Despite her lucrative odds, Maund was always hopeful Inthemix could win and clinch a Sydney trip.

"People have been reading her form wrong if they thought she didn't have a chance in this," he said.

"She finished sixth to Reigart at Toowoomba three runs back but she got flattened and Jim Byrne thought she was very unlucky not to win that day.

"She'll get 1400 metres easily and I think she wants a mile (1600m). The Champagne Stakes is what we'll probably set her for."

March 12th, 2006

Easy Rocking's son Vocalic gave his backers a huge return when he scored a last stride win in the Carlton Draught Hcp (1200m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

In doing so he convinced his trainer, Ron Maund that he was good enough to consider a winter stakes campaign with him.  In claiming his second win from 13-starts Vocalic had edged out Moonlight Shadow (Flying Spur - Crestfallen by Rivotious) by a nose with Racetrack (Strategic - Motorway by Bluebird) three-quarters of a length away third. 

Vocalic was purchased by his trainer at the Magic Millions premier sale for $140,000 and has been given plenty of time by Maund to mature. Toowoomba based jockey Carl Spry was impressed with the performance and had no hesitation recommending Maund step him up in distance this campaign. 

Maund will send Vocalic (ex Telltina by Semipalatinsk) to the paddock for a short break. 

September 6th, 2005

Astute selection of sires for his small band of mares has paid good dividends for Ian Smith, owner of the Edinburgh Park Stud at Taree on the northern coastal fringe of the Hunter Valley. One of his first breeding excursions was to send his new Bureaucracy mare Jade Tiara to the American sire El Moxie, a resident at the Emirates Park Stud at Digger's Rest in Victoria, because he was impressed with his Group 1 winning offspring El Mirada and Alfa.

Although he received only $55,000 for the resultant foal, a colt, when he offered it at the William Inglis Sydney Classic sale, it went on to challenge as the best sprinter in the world from its exploits in Hong Kong under the name of Silent Witness.

It has been followed to Hong Kong by a two-years-younger half-brother by Woodman to Silent Witness, which also went for $55,000 at the Classic sale. Racing under the name of Very Fit, it has won four of seven starts and earned $322,166.

These successes are mentioned at this time for Ian Smith gained further 'international' success as breeder through the win in the Listed Waikato Stakes in New Zealand on Saturday of the very promising three-year-old Boudi Woudi. 

It was her second outing and win at three and followed on a second in the Levin Ford Juvenile Stakes and a third at Auckland at two.

Sold for only $21,000 at the 2004 Sydney Classic yearling sale, one at which she was the second last lot in the catalogue and also a first foal, Boudi Woudi resulted from another venture interstate for breeding purposes by Ian Smith. 

On this occasion he went north to Queensland, patronising the crack Australian sprinter Easy Rocking at the Turkington's Wattle Brae Stud at Nobby. Subsequent results show that this was a wise choice, not only because of Boudi Woudi but as Easy Rocking went on to become one of Queensland's most promising sires, supplying 11 first crop two-year-old winners and being the State's leading first season sire numerically for 2004-05.

Yellow and Black, the dam of Boudi Woodie, did not win but she has a classic style pedigree which is a good balance for the speed of Easy Rocking. She is a half-sister by the Nijinsky sire Western Symphony to Blue Diamond Prelude winner and VRC Sires' Produce second Special Edition and from a half-sister by Sovereign Red to Golden Slipper second Paris Opera.

Western Symphony was a good miler in Ireland and Sovereign Red was one of Sir Tristram's greatest sons, winning six Group1 races including the Victoria Derby, Western Australian Derby, Caulfield Guineas and Doomben 10,000.

September 5th, 2005

Wattle Brae's resident stallion Easy Rocking clocked up his first stakes winner in New Zealand over the weekend when Boudi Woudi took out the listed Waikato Stud Stakes (1200m) at Wanganui on Saturday.

The three-year old filly, prepared by Mike Moroney was purchased by his brother Paul for just $21,000 at the 2004 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. Boudi Woudi was bred and offered for sale by Ian Smith’s Edinburgh Park Stud, renowned as the breeders of champion sprinter Silent Witness.  Boudi Woudi is the first foal of Yellow and Black, an unplaced half-sister by Western Symphony (USA) to the former smart Group Three winning juvenile Special Edition and last season’s top juvenile filly Doubting, winner of the MRC Blue Diamond Prelude Gr 3.

Smith purchased Yellow and Black for $21,000 at the 2002 Australian Select Broodmare Sale, in foal to Easy Rocking in her first season at stud. 

Boudi Woudi took the event out by a length from Echo Maid (Made of Gold - Echo Beach) with a neck to My Hangover (My Halo - Hangover Street) in third. 

August 24th, 2005

At Swan Hill on Tuesday, Can’t Get On scored a very impressive debut win.

The colt, by Easy Rocking from the handy mare Dancer’s Choice, settled off the pace but once in the clear stamped himself as a handy galloper to beat Pixel Wold by 3-3/4 lengths with another 2 lengths back to Memphis Bell in third. 

Can't Get On ran the 1000m journey in a slick 56.59sections, being eased down by apprentice rider Daniel Moore.  Trained by Robert Smerdon, who said "he (Can't Get On) had always shown ability and the stable was confident that he would go close.

Purchased at the Inglis Easter sale for $150,000, Can't Get On is a half-brother to the handy sprinter Naden. 

June 22nd, 2005

Former crack sprinter Easy Rocking has consolidated his position as the top first season source of two-year-old winners in Queensland when he gained his ninth winner on June 18. 

It came at the Gold Coast in the shape of the filly Rockatthecroc, a smart winner at 1400 metres bred by longtime Warwick district breeders Murray and Sue Murdoch from the Daybreak Lover winner Farafra. 

The dam is a sister to Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Sunblazer and to QTC C.E. McDougall Stakes third Ethereal Dawn. 

The success of Rockatthecroc at 1400 metres is another indication that the breed will train on and likely to have no problems in going1600 metres or further in the future. 

Easy Rocking was also represented on Saturday by Socialist, a good fourth in Bundamba Plate, the juvenile event on the program. 

Bred at Wattle Brae Stud, this lightly raced colt had earlier won by two lengths at Toowoomba and been placed at Doomben and the Gold Coast, 

Other winners by Easy Rocking have included Vocalic (won at Toowoomba and third in the J.F. Meynink Stakes-LR at Doomben), Ciao For Now (won Doomben and Ipswich), Coccolare (Toowoomba), Rock The Roses (Ipswich), Dizzy Rocking (Kembla Grange), Reelin And Rocking (Sunshine Coast) and Taking It Easy (Gold Coast). 

He is also sire of the placegetters Champagnat (twice in Sydney), Boudi Woudi (second in the Levin Ford Juvenile in New Zealand), Baez (second Wyong), Pay Gold ( third Hawkesbury), Rushablood (Toowoomba) and She's Rocking (Ipswich). 

The win by Rockatthecroc at the Gold Coast means that Easy Rocking leads the Queensland first season sires numerically by two from boom young sire Iglesia. 

He also equal third with Fusaichi Pegasus behind More Than Ready and Testa Rossa on the list of the top 20 new sires by winners. 

Easy Rocking was a very smart two-year-old himself with his four outings at that age including a win in the Group 3 Kindergarten Stakes at Warwick Farm after being second on the same track on debut. 

These efforts were followed by nine first three placings including three wins in 11 outings at three. 

May 9th, 2005

Adam Spitzer will be heading to Scone with a live chance in the rich Scone Inglis Challenge after first starter Champagnat (ex Breathe a Sigh by Zeditave) turned in a good run at Rosehill on Saturday.

The Easy Rocking filly was slowly away before mustering speed to settle just behind the leaders. When let loose in the straight she powered home for third behind Virago (Danehill - Blue Storm by Bluebird).

“We have prizemoney in the bank now, so provided she pulls up well we’ll head to Scone for the Inglis Challenge on May 20,” said Spitzer, who purchased the filly for just $14,000 at the Scone Yearling Sale last year.