Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
American stallion Rock N Roll World was represented by six of the nine runners in the $30,000 Westside Auto Wholesale Westsired Pace for three -year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park on Friday night, and he stole the show as the sire of the first four placegetters.
Arionrock, driven by Dylan Egerton-Green for Bunbury trainer Simone Strachan, was the $4 second favourite who trailed then pacemaker and $2.35 favourite Rockin Le Monde before finishing strongly to win from Worlds Above ($6), Maximum Rock ($4.40) and Rockin Le Monde.
With the polemarker Rockin Le Monde setting the pace, Worlds Above was left in the breeze, with Arionrock enjoying a perfect sit behind the leader.
Trent Wheeler sent Worlds Above to the front 220m from home, but he was unable to hold out Arionrock, who finished with a solid burst to take the lead with 100m to travel.
Arionrock is out of the New South Wales-bred mare Red Hot Mumma (by Albert Albert) who failed to run a place from four starts in NSW as a three-year-old in August 2006 before being retired.
Arionrock is proving a good buy for Yornup businessman Peter Bloxsome, who bought him for $21,000 at the 2022 Perth APG sale. The gelding has now had 26 starts for five wins, four placings and $50,476 in stakes as well as many more thousands of dollars in bonus payments.
Bloxsome has also won two races at Pinjarra this year with four-year-old Yankie Kev, and he is a proud part-owner of the brilliant mare Wonderful To Fly.
“Arionrock is not much bigger than a pony trotter, but he tries hard,” said Mrs Strachan. “He has a good sprint if he is held up. We will now try him in the heats of the Westbred Classic.”