Valley sprint targets for Roca

[Wandering Eyes]

Esta La Roca (NZ) (El Roca) is the quintessential short-course specialist who will be looking to add to her record first-up at The Valley.

The Lloyd Kennewell-trained mare will be lining-up up for her 19th race start on Saturday when she contests the Listed Carlyon Stakes (1000m).

Esta La Roca has raced over the 955m or 1000m course at The Valley on seven occasions, registering three wins, while her four other wins have been at 1000m, or shorter.

Her most recent was at her last start when successful in the Bat Out Of Hell over 900m at the Gold Coast on May 7.

Following that run, Kennewell hatched a plan that will hopefully enable the mare to take in three 1000m races at The Valley – Saturday’s Carlyon Stakes, the Group 2 McEwen Stakes on September 3 and the Group 1 Moir Stakes on September 23.

While Esta La Roca has won seven of her 18 starts, Kennewell said there was one glaring omission from her CV, a stakes race win.

That is something he would like to rectify before the mare is retired at season’s end.

“I think she’s five times placed at Group and Listed level,” Kennewell said.

“She’s a little tricky to place being a 1000-metre specialist, so we’ve really tried to target these races.”

Kennewell took Esta La Roca to The Valley on Tuesday morning to reacquaint herself with the lay-out.

He said he got up on her toes but galloped well ahead of Saturday’s contest.

“I think she’s as good as she can be,” Kennewell said.

“She’s in her final 12 months of racing before she goes to stud, and we really want to try and get that stakes win with her.

“I think she has to win either on Saturday or her next run to be a realistic chance of running in the Moir.

“Realistically she’s probably just off them, but if she puts her hand up and wins one then she’s probably entitled to put her hand up and have a crack.”

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