20th Stakes-Winner for Rock of Gibraltar
13th October 2007
Former champion galloper Rock of Gibraltar is proving every bit as successful at stud as he was on the track in posting his 20th individual stakes-winner worldwide at Caulfield on Saturday when Gamble Me (3f Rock of Gibraltar - Good Gamble, by Pleasant Tap) took out the Group Three MRC Thoroughbred Club Stakes.The Lee Freedman trained filly relished the drop back to 1200 metres after disappointing last start when finishing only fifth in a 1400m event.
Pushed forward to lead on this occasion, she kicked strongly in the straight to run right away from Vivacious Spirit and Belcentra in scoring by two lengths.
“It was a really good effort as they went along quickly,” said winning jockey Steven Arnold.
“She has a high cruising speed and races well like that, giving a good kick off the turn.”
Group Two placed during the autumn in Sydney as a juvenile, the Gooree Stud bred and owned filly has now won three races and placed four times from nine starts earning $181,870.
A half-sister to Sydney metropolitan winner Cara Y Cruz, Gamble Me is from one of Gooree Stud’s imported mares being from the Pleasant Tap mare Good Gamble, whose dam Looking for Gold is a full sister to champion sire Seeking the Gold.
It was the second win in the race for Gooree Stud, who also bred and owned the Danehill filly Queen of the Hill, who won it in 2005
Coolmore based Rock of Gibraltar is covering his fifth consecutive book of Australian mares at a fee of $82,500 after spending the Northern Hemisphere season in Japan, but is due back in Ireland for the 2008 breeding season.