El Roca 3YO Warming Up for Derby

Media Release - Tuesday January 30

Renegade Rebel will make the second middle distance appearance of his burgeoning career on Wednesday in his final lead-up to the country’s Blue Riband age group staying feature.

The Gr.2 Legacy Lodge Waikato Guineas (2000m) at Te Rapa will provide the stage for his dress rehearsal for the Gr.1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m) at Ellerslie on March 2.

Renegade Rebel will contest the Gr.2 Waikato Guineas (2000m) at Te Rapa on Wednesday.   Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)

Renegade Rebel has already displayed his depths of stamina with a stylish last-start victory in the Listed Gingernuts Salver (2100m) off the back of a maiden success at just his third outing.

“He’s flying, but I just think that two and a-half weeks between runs might not suit him that well at Te Rapa but four and a-half weeks leading into the Derby will,” trainer Cody Cole said.

Advertisement

Renegade Rebel’s progress hasn’t surprised his Matamata handler, who also has confidence in his free-going son of El Roca mastering the Classic distance.

“He has continued to step up and keep improving and after the Guineas he won’t run again until the Derby, I think that will be the ideal build-up for a horse like him,” Cole said.

Out of the Duelled mare Regalia, who was successful on five occasions, Renegade Rebel has won his last two races with dominant front-running performances in the hands of Matthew Cameron, who takes the reins again.

“We went into the Salver knowing he would run the trip and he gets to the front and into his own rhythm,” Cole said.

“He does it very easily and covers the ground well. It’s pretty effortless for him and winds up when he needs to, and we know he will keep finding.

“You go into a lot of these three-year-old staying races riding a horse conservatively hoping they run the trip out, but we don’t need to take that approach.

“We know he is best out there doing his own thing and it’s just a matter of whether he can hold the rest of them out.”

Cole was also in the market for a pair of youngsters during the second session of New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale at Karaka on Monday, including a daughter of El Roca.

“He is a sire that has been pretty good to me so there’s no point changing, we’ve got a few others with ability,” he said.

Lot 474 offered by Westbury Stud was purchased with Andrew Williams Bloodstock and is out of the unraced Testa Rossa mare Test My Resolve, a half-sister to the South African Group Three winner Roy’s Riviera.

Cole also teamed up with fellow trainer Kurtis Pertab to secure Lot 331 for $110,000 out of Curraghmore’s draft.

“He’s one that we will look to trade, most likely at the Ready to Run Sale,” he said.

The Almanzor colt is a half-brother to the Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m) winner Tomelilla, who also claimed a brace of Listed events, and to the Gr.3 Waikato Cup (2400m) winner Viktor Vegas with their dam the Dubai Destination mare Purnima. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
Vale, Danny Champion
The thoroughbred racing industry is in mourning following the passing of respected horseman Danny Champion.
Churchill Colt Pulls Off Stunning Pinhooking Result at NZB Ready To Run
Chad Ormsby has enjoyed plenty of racetrack success this year with pinhooks that he has been unable to sell at the Ready to Run Sale, but the multi-talented horseman had a very different outcome with the standout member of his 2024 Riverrock Farm draft at Karaka on Thursday.
Blockbuster Sale as NZB Ready to Run Records Tumble
Expectations were exceeded at Karaka with tremendous results witnessed across two days of selling at NZB’S 2024 Ready to Run Sale, confirming the demand for proven racetrack results and quality New Zealand-prepared horses.
Sires With Winners - Thursday November 21
Here is the full list of 32 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
City of Troy Crowned 2024 Cartier European Horse of the Year
Outstanding Justify colt City of Troy was crowned Horse of the Year at the 2024 Cartier awards on Wednesday night in London at a star studded ceremony at the Dorchester Hotel.
One to Watch – Hawkesbury
Castelvecchio has gone from nowhere to somewhere during the course of this spring with three stakes-winners putting his name in lights and he had a promising three year-old colt salute at Hawkesbury on Thursday that has now won two of three starts.
Castelvecchio Out for Remainder of Season
Aeliana’s late charge into second place in the $1.5million Group I MRC Thousand Guineas last Saturday stamped her as the filly to follow out of the race, but it wasn’t quite enough to put her sire Castelvecchio to the top of the second season sires list and he is now out of service at Arrowfield following surgery last week.
New SW El Roca - Renegade Rebel Wins Listed Gingernuts Salver
Emerging three-year-old Renegade Rebel stepped up from a last-start maiden win and scored a determined front-running victory in Sunday’s Listed Gingernuts Salver (2100m) at Ellerslie.
Million-dollar Hour for Leung at NZB Ready To Run
Hong Kong bloodstock agent Willie Leung had a big hour at Karaka early on Thursday afternoon, spending more than $1 million to secure two well-credentialled colts at the NZB Ready to Run Sale.
Arkansaw Kid Brother Sells for $520,000
A well-related son of Harry Angel provided a late highlight in the final hour of the 2024 NZB Ready to Run Sale at Karaka on Thursday when he was knocked down to a $520,000 bid from bloodstock agent Morgan Carter.