Christmas Success for Encosta – Cocinero and Moonboat
26th December 2007
Accomplished sprinter Cocinero (6g Encosta de Lago - Cantinela, by Zoffany) made light work of his 57 kg in romping away to score a commanding victory in the Listed MRC Christmas Stakes over 1200 metres at Caulfield on Boxing Day.The six year-old son of Encosta de Lago was given a ‘soft kill’ by astute trainer Robbie Griffiths at Sandown on November 24 and went into this assignment fit, fresh and in the right frame of mind.
Speaking on 2SM’s Racing to the Max radio show on Wednesday morning, Robbie Griffiths was enthusiastic about his prospects with Cocinero, whom he felt would be all the better for that last start win.
“The last few years he’s been pretty much racing exclusively in Group and Listed company and we just thought that by dropping him back in grade and letting him get that win on the board, it would do a lot for his confidence today,” said Griffiths.
And so it did.
Ridden a treat by Craig Newitt from gate four, Cocinero enjoyed a nice run in transit before chiming in with a powerful finish to zoom away from dead-heaters Stickpin and Colonel Parker posting a winning margin of more than two lengths.
A $55,000 purchase for the Chefs on the Run Syndicate at the 2003 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale in Melbourne, Cocinero has now won seven races and $471,050 in prizemoney for his lucky owners, his win in the Christmas Stakes, the second Black Type success of his career.
Offered for sale by Little Plains Stud, Cocinero is one of three smart winners produced by the Zoffany mare Cantinela, all of her winners sired by Coolmore based heavyweight Encosta de Lago.
Encosta de Lago also featured at Randwick on Boxing Day with much vaunted filly Moonboat (3f Encosta de Lago - Moon Cha Cha, by Marscay) (pictured) opening her account with a dominant win in the set weight fillies maiden over 1150 metres on the Kensington track.
Sent out a raging hot favourite, Moonboat led from barrier one and gave nothing else a chance, more than justifying the high opinion of leading Warwick Farm mentor Clarry Conners.
“Everybody knows what I think about this filly, I think she’s a super filly,” trainer Clarry Conners said
“I just wanted to get a maiden win over with and she’s up there with the best of them I’m sure.”
Raced by Dr and Mrs Edmund Bateman (who enjoyed Group One success last season with another Encosta de Lago filly in Apercu), Moonboat had just one run in the spring before the outbreak of EI when she finished a close up third to Sliding Cube in the Group Three AJC San Domenico Stakes and will be worth following into much better races that this.
Bred and offered for sale by Bart Cummings under his Princes Farm banner, Moonboat was secured by Clarry Conners on behalf of the Batemans for $420,000 at the 2006 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
A glorious bay filly, she is the second foal of the Marscay mare Moon Cha Cha, a half-sister to stakes-winner Terrace from the “Canny family” made famous by Group One winners Canny Lad, Canny Lass, Camarena and more recently Camarilla.
