All eyes will be on the royally bred two-year-old Fastdane Rocky as the high priced yearling sale graduate makes his raceday debut in the Fell Engineering 1000 at Ruakaka on Tuesday.
The handsome son of Fastnet Rock and multiple Group One winner Katie Lee set tongues wagging when knocked down to the bid of Tuhikaramea trainer Debbie Rogerson for $800,000 during the premier session of the 2014 New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale at Karaka.
“He looks to have inherited a lot of his parent’s ability and he showed at the trials what we had seen in his work leading up to that day,” said Rogerson.
“He is a very nice colt, with a great temperament so we weren’t surprised that he did most things right that day.“He’s thrived since the run and he’s ready to make his debut now.”
The colt has an added incentive to make a winning debut on Tuesday as his connections have increased the prizemoney for the race to ensure a victory would provide the opportunity to make the field for New Zealand’s richest race, the Listed NZB Karaka Million, at Ellerslie on the 25th of January.“He’s paid up for the Karaka Million so we want to give him that opportunity to make the field if he can win on Tuesday,” explained Rogerson.
“We’re also mindful of his potential stud value if he can become a successful juvenile so we do have plans to look at some of the major two-year-old races coming up later in the summer.”Rogerson also reported that Gr. 1 Zabeel Classic winner Soriano would have her next start in the Gr. 1 Harcourts Thorndon Mile at Trentham on the 24th of January.
“She has come through the race in good order so we will pay the late nomination for the Thorndon and safely through that she will go to the Herbie Dyke Stakes at Te Rapa” she said.
