Four-year-old mare Esta La Roca (NZ) (El Roca) notched the fifth win of her career when successful at Sandown on Saturday over 1000m.
The Lloyd Kennewell-trained mare was sent out $2.70 favourite and was prominent throughout before staving off the challengers late to salute for apprentice Josh Richards.
A daughter of Westbury Stud-stallion El Roca, Esta La Roca will now go for a break after a fruitful campaign that has netted multiple stakes placings.
“She’s had a couple of really tough runs and a trip to Adelaide. It’s a good way to finish the preparation, a good way to go out,” Kennewell said.
“The powers-that-be here don’t allow us to treat mares in-season and she’s been in-season all week. It’s disappointing that that happens. In Sydney you’re allowed to treat them, here you’re not.
“Even in the stalls leading into the race today she was very much in season and horsing around so I don’t think she really liked the whip late in the race either but she got the job done, to her credit.
“She has been tricky to place to try to get that black type win. We went to the right races which we felt were her strengths and she got black type placing and bumped into some black type horses along the way.
“She’s won at the start of the prep, finished at the end of the prep with a win and she’ll have a little break.”
The lightning quick mare will also be a candidate for the 955m series at The Valley after a freshen-up.
Three-kilo claiming apprentice Josh Richards controlled the race, sitting outside the leader before pushing the button at the right time in the straight.
“She’s been racing in good company and she tries her little heart out. She deserved another win today,” Richards said.
“She seems to like this track. You could hear them coming but I thought she’d done enough to hold them out.”
One of four winners out of the Strategic mare Camouflaged, Esta La Roca is a half-sister to Listed Macau Guineas winner Gold Alloy (Testa Rossa).
There are seven two-year-olds by Esta La Roca’s sire El Roca entered for the forthcoming New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale on November 17 and 18.
