Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Outstanding young driver Deni Roberts took full advantage of Roll Up’s strength and staying qualities when she vacated the favourable one-out, one-back position and was more than happy to rate the five-year-old in the breeze outside the pacemaker and $2 favourite Eton Rock in the 2130m Caduceus Club Positive For Pacing Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Her plan worked to perfection, with Roll Up, great value at $9.80 at his third start after a spell, finishing strongly to win at a 1.57.9 rate.
Roll Up settled in the one-out, one-back position before Roberts decided to vacate the prized position after about 500m and move to the breeze. Eton Rock cored the third quarter of the final mile in 28.4sec. before the pace increased further over the final 400m which whizzed by in 27.7sec.
Roll Up finished strongly and got to the front in the final 15m to win by a neck from $51 chance Alcopony, with Eton Rock a head away in third place.
“I could’ve had a good sit one out and one back, but I decided against it,” said Roberts. “Eton Rock had done quite a bit off the arm, so I knew I’d get a cheap breeze. I didn’t want to becoming three or four wide in the last half.
“Roll Up can do it (in the breeze) in the right circumstances. So, I elected to pull him out early and then drove him sit-kick from the breeze. He’s accustomed to racing in the breeze, and he’s tough but is fast as well.”
Roll Up, prepared by leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond, was having his third start after a spell, and the half-brother to Risk has raced exclusively in WA, with his 29 starts resulting in 11 wins, ten placings and $74,115 in prizemoney. for
He enjoys racing at Gloucester Park where his nine starts have produced five wins and two placings.