Aroha Stone loves Rosehill wet

[Wandering Eyes]

The Nathan Doyle-trained Aroha Stone (NZ) (El Roca) scored a deserved victory in the Thank You Noel Cuthbert Handicap (1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

The four-year-old daughter of El Roca was partnered by Regan Bayliss who said the mare relished the Heavy 8 conditions and atoned for a luckless effort at Randwick a fortnight ago.

Aroha Stone defeated the favourite Changing Colours (The Autumn Sun) by three-quarters of a length to notch the fourth win of her career from 15 starts with a further five minor placings.

“I really liked her today,” Bayliss said. “I had no luck last start but she had a nice soft barrier today and with the rain about she’s at her best.

“She has been going really well this preparation and it is good to get another win on the board.

“She always felt like the winner and even going to the barriers she just glided over that track.

“I had a lovely run in transit and although I did feel Nash (Rawiller) and Changing Colours giving a tough contest there inside the last 150m, to our mare’s credit she dug deep and won well.”

The stable had been confident Aroha Stone could return to the winner’s circle at her third run this campaign after winning in good style at Newcastle fresh-up.

“She is a very tough mare,” stable representative Grace Willoughby said. “We knew she’d run well today, and it was just a case of putting a line through her last start. She had won third-up before, so we were pretty confident.

“She has won on a worse track than this before so that was never going to bother her.

“I think this is going to be one of her best preparations. Last time in she just needed to go out, grow a little bit and mature and she has done that this prep.”

Aroha Stone was purchased for just $25,000 from the Westbury Stud draft from the Book 2 Sale at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales. She is the second foal of the Makfi mare Luminescent (NZ) who in turn is out of the four-time stakes winner and Group One performer Illuminates (Strategic).

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