Rock Ready To Roll At Newmarket

Connections of Rock Of Rochelle have splashed out £12,000 to supplement the colt for next week's Shadwell Stud Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket.

A Listed winner for first-season trainer Andrew Kinsella at the Curragh on National Stakes day, the son of Rock Of Gibraltar has a progressive profile and has won two of his three starts.

Kinsella, 35, who trains less than a dozen horses, told www.newmarketracecourses.co.uk: 'Rock Of Rochelle is a genuine colt going in the right direction and deserves to run in a race like the Middle Park.

'The horse would get seven furlongs now, no problems and it was a bit of dilemma as to whether we wanted to wait for the Killavullan Stakes (at Leopardstown on October 29).

'But the ground was the big deciding factor for us. He handles soft but he ideally he'd want good ground or good to firm. Newmarket gives us the best chance of genuine good, fast ground.

'He is a colt who is going forward and this is the next obvious step. If we'd gone for a Group Three I feel it would be a sideways route. By running in the Middle Park, we'll find out what we have for next year.

'I think he will be very competitive and if we finish fourth then we'll cover our costs, but I would love to have a winner at Newmarket.

'We are hoping to follow Ad Valorem, who won the maiden that Rock Of Rochelle did, the Blenheim Stakes and then the Middle Park.'

(C) PA Sport