Pocket rocket scores at Te Aroha

[Wandering Eyes]

Our Absolute (NZ) (Niagara) scored a popular win at Te Aroha on Wednesday when taking out the Pencarrow Stud 1100.

Bred by trainers Robyn and Russell Rogers under their Kendayla Park banner, the Waikato couple race the filly with jockeys Trudy Thornton and Lynsey Satherley, with the latter doing the steering on Wednesday.

She gave the daughter of Niagara an economical trip in the trail before guiding her between runners down the straight where she was able to grab the lead with 250m and run and scored a 1-3/4 length victory.

“We are over the moon. She is a little power pack, but she thinks she is 10 feet tall and bullet proof,” Robyn Rogers said.

“Last time she maybe needed a trial, she wasn’t quite as forward as we thought she was. That race set her up perfectly for today.

“It is a really fast family she is out of and she is no exception, she just wants to get on with it and she loves her job.

“It was her first time on a really good track and she loved it.”

Rogers was particularly pleased for Thornton and Satherley and said she has enjoyed sharing every moment with the pair.

“We gave Lynsey a share in a couple of horses and Trudy used to ride her all of the time in track work and we said to her one day if she wanted a share in her too,” Rogers said.

“They were both excited to have a share in her and it is lovely that people who have been in the industry for so many years, and are stalwarts of the thoroughbred industry, are getting so much excitement out of her.

“Trudy has moved to Aussie, but she will get a huge buzz out of her winning today, and Lynsey has always loved her and calls her her little pocket rocket.”

Our Absolute is by Niagara, a stallion the Rogers hold a share in, who now stands at Vicki Wilson’s Hau Ora Farm in Kahuranaki, south of Hastings, for a fee of $3,000.

“When Greg and Jo Griffin brought him out to stand at Lime Country he stayed with us for a week and they did an open day at our place so everyone in the Waikato could see him before they took him down to Hawke’s Bay,” Rogers said.

“We just fell in love with him then. He had a fabulous temperament, he is a gorgeous horse, and he is passing that on.

“We have bred a lot of Niagaras and we have never bred a bad one. Most of the colts and geldings have headed up to Hong Kong.

“We raced Tia Celeste, she was the first foal we bred by Niagara and she was a great mare. She is a really good eventer, the girls ride her and love her. This is the second filly, but mostly we have had colts and geldings and have done really well out of him.

“I would love a whole barn full (of Niagaras), they are lovely, well-tempered horses that get the job done.

“He is really popular in the sport horse world, we have got a lot of people ringing up to see if we have any for sale because they want them as eventers, and you can see why. They have got good brains. They are perfectly dispositioned to head off to the sport horse world.”

The Rogers are now looking at chasing down a Pearl Series Bonus with Our Absolute before setting her towards potential stakes targets in autumn.

“We have always been big followers of the Pearl Series Bonus, and this is probably the first race she has run in that has not been a Pearl Series Bonus race,” Rogers said.

“Now that she has won a race, we might look to see if there are any Pearl Series rating 65 races coming up, which will be quite exciting.

“In an ideal world, something like the Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (Gr.3) over 1200m in autumn would be perfect for her.”

Meanwhile, Rogers was pleased with the way their Group three winner Zecora (NZ) (Power) came through her ninth placed run in the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) on Monday and is looking forward to tacking the Gr.2 Westbury Classic (1400m) at Ellerslie on January 27 with the mare.

“She pulled up fantastic. She went out to the paddock that night bucking and kicking,” she said.

“Lynsey came in and said she is a true good tracker now. She tried hard and had a bit of a tough run, she was caught three-wide all the way. She didn’t sprint like she normally can.

“Her run had a bit of merit to it and she has taken no harm from it. The next time she lines-up will hopefully be at Ellerslie for the Westbury. It will be a good track and I think she will be happier.

“It was worth a crack stepping her up to a mile, but I think 1400m is her best distance. With the Westbury at 1400m and worth the money it is ($500,000), it is too tempting not to have a crack at it.”

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