Rock Diva Dances to Auckland Cup Victory
Description:
Under a patient ride from jockey Mark Du Plessis, Raffles Racing's Rock Diva danced her way through the field to post a three-quarters of a length victory in the Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (NZ-I) March 4.
Following the instructions of Raffles Racing's Bruce Sherwin and trainer Tony Pike to bide his time until the right moment in the 3,200-meter (about two miles) marathon at New Zealand's Ellerslie Racecourse, du Plessis cut the corner turning for home and weaved Rock Diva through traffic in the 17-horse field to overtake King Kamada late. Pondarosa Miss finished another 1 1/4 lengths back in third.
"They said to do nothing on her early and she switched right off," du Plessis said. "Coming to the half mile I was asking Moses to part the seas and it happened, she was really strong on the line."
"Bruce and I looked at all the options and we couldn't see any other one than to go back from the draw," Pike told Nzracing.co.nz. "She came from a long way off them and it was a cool ride by Mark (Du Plessis) and she outstayed them.
"It's a great buzz to win this race. My parents won it in 1981 (with Drum) and I vaguely remember that," Pike said. "I'm rapt for the mare, rapt for the owners and all the staff at home."
The Auckland Cup was the first win at the highest level for Rock Diva, a 4-year-old daughter of Lucky Unicorn whose previous stakes success had come in March 2014 when she won the McKee Family Sunline Vase (NZ-III) at Ellerslie. Previous to the Auckland Cup, Rock Diva had been third in the Go Racing Syndications Avondale Gold Cup (NZ-II) Feb. 14.
"All her races had been very good and the Avondale Cup proved she was peaking at the right time when she closed off late," Pike said of the filly who has won or placed in nine of 15 career starts. "She's due a spell now and then we'll look at all our spring options. The (Emirates) Melbourne Cup (Aus-I) is one of those."