Fresh from training five winners across three venues on Melbourne Cup day, John O’Shea has every reason to be optimistic that Rocha Clock can break her Rosehill hoodoo.
O’Shea’s team was in fine form across the country on Tuesday with Southern Lad and I Am Lethal winning at Randwick, Comrade Rosa and This’llbetheone successful at Kembla, while Quantico flew the stable’s flag on the big stage at Flemington.
The trainer’s afternoon might have been even better if not for the late scratching of Promise Of Success, who became agitated following a pre-race blood test which forced her withdrawal from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes for which she was favourite.
“It was an up and down day. We had some nice winners but then we had the misfortune of having our best chance of the day, Promise Of Success scratched through no fault of our own,” O’Shea said on Sky Sports Radio on Wednesday.
“But we were encouraged by the performances of some of the young horses yesterday and we came away with a nice day.”
O’Shea will bid to keep his momentum rolling at Rosehill where he saddles up Rocha Clock and Fashchanel in the Group 2 Hot Danish Stakes (1400m) and last-start winner Blesk in the Chandon Garden Spritz Handicap (1400m).
Rocha Clock is coming off a second to Icebath in The Invitation and will be out to break her Rosehill duck.
The mare has raced at the track three times with her best result a second in the 2020 Inglis Guineas, although she has arguably been in unsuitable races at her only other starts at the venue, finishing unplaced first-up in a benchmark race last spring and again when stretched out to 2000m for the first and only time in last year’s ATC Cup.
“We’ve been very happy with Rocha. She raced right up to expectations going into The Invitation,” O’Shea said.
“It’s a nice race for her. Whether she’s as effective at Rosehill as she is at Randwick, well probably her record says that’s not the case, but she’s just in a rich vein of form so hopefully that shows on Saturday.”
Fashchanel gets her first opportunity in stakes grade in the same race, while Blesk was successful on the Kensington track last month, earning himself another shot at Saturday level.
