Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Persistent problems with a damaged tendon resulted in Love On The Rocks having only three starts in WA for champion trainer Gary Hall Snr in 29 months after arriving from New Zealand in Australia in May 2022.
Hall’s perseverance and his faith in the gelding is at last paying dividends. Love On The Rocks reappeared this month after a 12-month absence, and his impressive victory in the 2130m Trotsynd Group 1 Winners Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night at his third start in his current campaign showed that there are more wins in store for the seven-year-old.
“After he arrived in WA a scan revealed that he had a damaged tendon,” said Hall. “So, I put him out, and when he came back after four months, he had a couple of runs and went okay (with a win and two placings at Gloucester Park).
“But he then went sore again, so I turned him out and waited to give him one last chance. And he has come back in good shape.”
Love On The Rocks was a heavily-supported $1.40 favourite from the No. 2 barrier on Friday night when Gary Hall Jnr got him away smartly, and he relished his pacemaking role and won by two lengths from $15 chance Soho Santorini, rating 1.56 over 2130m, with final 400m sections of 27.2sec. and 29.1sec.
“He has always shown us that he is a horse with above average ability,” said Hall.
Love On The Rocks raced 37 times in New Zealand for seven wins, ten placings and $71,918. His six WA starts have produced two wins and two placings.
He is by New Zealand sire Terror To Love and is the fourth foal out of the unraced Badlands Hanover mare Uroc.