Date posted February 24, 2010 | Posted by Michele Cullen | Filed under
Premium Updates,
Racing and Breeding,
Rock of GibraltarMelbourne, Vic (Feb 24th, 2010) - La Rocket was rewarded for his consistency with a courageous win in the Group 2 St. George Stakes (wfa 1800m) at Caulfield last Saturday.La Rocket, the winner of the Listed Seymour Classic (1600m), was the first group winner for the Wadham Park Group and trainer Dale Sutton.
Sutton was ecstatic with La Rocket’s performance after the gelding, ridden by stable jockey Stephen Baster, trailed the speed before holding off the favourite Heart Of Dreams (Show a Heart - Academy of Dreams by Royal Academy).
“I don’t think this horse has ever put in a bad run. He just gets up near the speed and he just keeps going. He tries really hard,” Sutton said.
It’s fitting that La Rocket is the horse to reach the group-win milestone for the Wadham Park team, as the son of Rock Of Gibraltar has been a headline act for the stable all season – his form including a third behind Black Caviar in the Group 3 Australia Stakes (1200m) and a fourth behind Rangirangdoo in the Group 2 Crystal Mile (1600m), both at Moonee Valley.
The St. George Stakes win comes as Wadham Park is having its most fruitful season. Sutton has led in 33 winners this season, mostly in the last three months, which places him 14th on the Victorian Trainers’ Premiership. Sutton said La Rocket deserves to have a crack at the Group 1 Australian Cup (wfa 2000m) at Flemington on March 6.
A son of the Group I VRC Mackinnon Stakes heroine La Bella Dama (by Desert Sun) he is her first stakes winner as his older-half brother Macau Causeway (by Giant’s Causeway) has only managed black type placings amongst his six wins.
With career earnings of more than $430,000 La Rocket has paid for himself in full as Wadham Park gave $300,000 for him as a yearling at the William Inglis Easter sale in 2006. This year Rock of Gibraltar has 29 yearlings catalogued for the William Inglis Easter sale with another 29 listed for sale at next weeks Premier sale at Oaklands Junction in Victoria.
