Victoria Roc (NZ)
Victoria Roc (NZ)
3 f Turn Me Loose – Cap Eden Roc by Fastnet Rock
O: Valencia Park Ltd
B: Mangawhai Village Development Trust
T: Jamie Richards
W: Matamata Directional Drilling 1200, 1200m, March 30, Matamata
In an explosive month, Windsor Park Stud stallion Turn Me Loose (Iffraaj) added three new stakes winners in March, including Group 1 winner Lickety Split, but he may have ended the month with his next new stakes winner, as his three-year-old filly Victoria Roc turned in an impressive performance in landing the 3YO Maiden over 1200 metres at Matamata on Wednesday.
Unbeaten in three trial starts heading into her debut, Victoria Roc was one of three winners on the day for Jamie Richards, who was saddling his final runners before departing for Hong Kong next month.
In a dominant display, Victoria Roc defeated Billy Bunter (Belardo) by three and three-quarter lengths with more than six and a half lengths back to third placed Atomic (Sooboog).
“She has always shown plenty of ability and it was a great win,” said Richards. “We’d taken our time with her since trialling at the start of March because of wet tracks, but the weather played its part leading up to this meeting.
“She’s a natural galloper, has a high cruising speed, and it was a good ride by Opie (Bosson).
“We expect she can go on and win more races, hopefully make the step to stakes racing, and our thanks to Jonny Hendricksen and Geoff Roan for sending her to Te Akau to be trained.”
A homebred for Hendricksen and Roan, Victoria Roc is out of the winning Fastnet Rock (Danehill) mare Cap Eden Roc, who has already produced the Group 3-placed Belle Roc (Rip Van Winkle).
Deriving from her Irish-bred third dam Mer Du Sud (Bluebird) are Hong Kong Group 1 winners The Duke (Danehill) and Sky Field (Deep Field), while this is also the family of Royal Ascot Group 1 winner Sayf El Arab (Drone).
Cap Eden Roc has an unraced two-year-old colt by Rip Van Winkle (Galileo).