Seventh Winner This Season for Rock

12th September 2007

Rock of Gibraltar has begun the new Australian season in sparkling fashion and added a seventh individual winner to his seasonal tally on Wednesday when the Mark Kavanagh trained colt Private Liaison (2c Rock of Gibraltar - Regal Kiss, by Royal Academy) saluted at Morphettville.

Resuming from a spell of 21 weeks after finishing unplaced on debut in a Listed event back in April, Private Liaison came from off the pace and score in a tight three-way finish by half a head.

Private Liaison was a $100,000 purchase from the Coolmore draft at the 2006 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and is the second foal of the Group Two winning Royal Academy mare Regal Kiss.

Bred by South Australian based Toorak Park Stud, Private Liaison comes from a top class South Aussie family, his dam a half-sister to Group One MRC Blue Diamond winner Undoubtedly and Group Three winner Toorak Thunder.

The outbreak of equine influenza in Australia has not been kind to Rock of Gibraltar.

Not only is he stranded at Eastern Creek along with many of his compatriots, but several of his best Australian offspring are quarantined at Randwick and will be forced to sit out the spring carnival.

They include glamour filly Sliding Cube, winner of the Group Three AJC San Domenico Stakes when resuming from a spell and also the record priced $3million Easter sale-topper from L’On Vite.