El Roca 3YO Warming Up for Derby

Media Release - Tuesday January 30

Renegade Rebel will make the second middle distance appearance of his burgeoning career on Wednesday in his final lead-up to the country’s Blue Riband age group staying feature.

The Gr.2 Legacy Lodge Waikato Guineas (2000m) at Te Rapa will provide the stage for his dress rehearsal for the Gr.1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m) at Ellerslie on March 2.

Renegade Rebel will contest the Gr.2 Waikato Guineas (2000m) at Te Rapa on Wednesday.   Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)

Renegade Rebel has already displayed his depths of stamina with a stylish last-start victory in the Listed Gingernuts Salver (2100m) off the back of a maiden success at just his third outing.

“He’s flying, but I just think that two and a-half weeks between runs might not suit him that well at Te Rapa but four and a-half weeks leading into the Derby will,” trainer Cody Cole said.

Renegade Rebel’s progress hasn’t surprised his Matamata handler, who also has confidence in his free-going son of El Roca mastering the Classic distance.

“He has continued to step up and keep improving and after the Guineas he won’t run again until the Derby, I think that will be the ideal build-up for a horse like him,” Cole said.

Out of the Duelled mare Regalia, who was successful on five occasions, Renegade Rebel has won his last two races with dominant front-running performances in the hands of Matthew Cameron, who takes the reins again.

“We went into the Salver knowing he would run the trip and he gets to the front and into his own rhythm,” Cole said.

“He does it very easily and covers the ground well. It’s pretty effortless for him and winds up when he needs to, and we know he will keep finding.

Advertisement

“You go into a lot of these three-year-old staying races riding a horse conservatively hoping they run the trip out, but we don’t need to take that approach.

“We know he is best out there doing his own thing and it’s just a matter of whether he can hold the rest of them out.”

Cole was also in the market for a pair of youngsters during the second session of New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale at Karaka on Monday, including a daughter of El Roca.

“He is a sire that has been pretty good to me so there’s no point changing, we’ve got a few others with ability,” he said.

Lot 474 offered by Westbury Stud was purchased with Andrew Williams Bloodstock and is out of the unraced Testa Rossa mare Test My Resolve, a half-sister to the South African Group Three winner Roy’s Riviera.

Cole also teamed up with fellow trainer Kurtis Pertab to secure Lot 331 for $110,000 out of Curraghmore’s draft.

“He’s one that we will look to trade, most likely at the Ready to Run Sale,” he said.

The Almanzor colt is a half-brother to the Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m) winner Tomelilla, who also claimed a brace of Listed events, and to the Gr.3 Waikato Cup (2400m) winner Viktor Vegas with their dam the Dubai Destination mare Purnima. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
New SW El Roca - Renegade Rebel Wins Listed Gingernuts Salver
Emerging three-year-old Renegade Rebel stepped up from a last-start maiden win and scored a determined front-running victory in Sunday’s Listed Gingernuts Salver (2100m) at Ellerslie.
Vale bloodstock agent Michael Wallace
The New Zealand and international thoroughbred industries are mourning the loss of Michael Wallace, who passed away in the United States on Saturday night.
Debut Zoustar 2YO Winner Brings Catalogue Update
Bjorn Baker, Rachel King and Zoustar combined to win the 2YO fillies maiden at Canterbury on Monday with well bred Zoustar filly Pillow Fight, who has a half-sister to be offered at the Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale on Friday.
Tom Reilly removed as CEO of Melbourne Racing Club
Tom Reilly has been removed  as CEO of the Melbourne Racing Club (MRC). 
New G2 Winner for Almanzor
Wootton Bassett is one of the hottest stallions in the world at the minute and the horse that started it all for him came along in his very first crop and that was Cambridge Stud’s Almanzor (Fr), who posted his 25th stakes-winner overnight.
Sires With Winners - Monday June 9
Here is the full list of 37 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Pencarrow Celebrate Derby Victory for Iconic Family
Pencarrow Stud’s foundation mare Richebourg has left a lasting impression on the Australasian thoroughbred landscape, with Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) victor Maison Louis further adding to that legacy with his Classic triumph at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Brighthill Farm Buoyant Ahead of Weanling Sale
NZB’s National Weanling Sale has been a popular stage for boutique vendors Brighthill Farm, who produced the top-priced lot at last year’s Sale when a filly by Satono Aladdin was knocked down to Gary Harding for $180,000.
Twin Hills Showcase Daumier at Inglis Great Southern
Twin Hills Stud are headed to Victoria this week for the Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale (June 13) with a draft of 18 and eight of them are from the first crop of the farm’s young sire Daumier.
$1.4million Favourite Rolled, But Winner Might be Special
The two year-old colts maiden at Canterbury on Monday was a must watch race with $1.4million Wootton Bassett (GB) colt Central Coast expected to be winning on debut, but the unpredictable nature of racing was seen to full effect when his stablemate Autumn Boy went off script to take the victory at 50-1.