Pierro Mare Wins G3 Dark Jewel
Quality mare Rocha Clock (4m Pierro x Rocha, by Encosta de Lago) has been threatening to win a stakes race for some time and got the job done at Scone on Friday when unleashing a brilliant finish to charge home and win the $200,000 Group III Dark Jewel Stakes (1400m).
Trained by John O’Shea and ridden by Rachel King, Rocha Clock overcame an outside gate by settling back to last and was dynamic at the finish when overpowering her rivals to win her first Black Type contest by a long neck.
O’Shea indicated the $500,000 set weights Group III BRC Sapphire Stakes (1600m) at Eagle Farm on June 5 would be Rocha Clock’s primary goal before the end of the season.
“We’ve got a nice race picked out for her in Brisbane in three weeks time and that will nearly do her this prep,” he said.
“She’s just in a rich vein of form, just a really happy mare racing well.”
Stakes-placed in the Inglis Scone Guineas last season, Rocha Clock has been handled patiently by John O’Shea for her Sydney based owner Jason Abrahams and has the overall record of seven wins and three placings from 16 starts with prizemoney in excess of $546,000, with connections no doubt keen to secure further Black Type with her in the future.
Rocha Clock was recorded as a $200,000 Inglis Easter purchase from the Coolmore draft, but when that sale fell through the plan was to send her to New Zealand for the Ready to Run Sale for which she was entered.
At that point, John O’Shea approached Coolmore to purchase her privately given he and Jason Abrahams had been greatly impressed with her at Inglis Easter and the rest is history.
Foaled and raised at Coolmore, she is the best of five winners from five foals to race from Group II winning Encosta de Lago mare Rocha, a daughter of Group I South Australian Oaks winner Larrocha.
This is the family of Group I Victoria Derby winner Blackfriars and Group I ATC Australian Derby winner Quick Thinker.
Rocha has a yearling filly by Caravaggio that made $150,000 at Inglis Easter and she was covered last spring by Magna Grecia after missing the previous year.
Rocha Clock is the 25th stakes-winner for Pierro, who stands at a fee of $110,000 this spring.