‘Super horse’ Rockleigh Victory wins Derby

Press, 1 May 1989, Page 36

‘Super horse’ Rockleigh Victory wins Derby

NZPA-AAP Sydney The champion Victorian trainer, Bob Knight, etched another place in the record books after his star colt, Rockleigh Victory, won the sAustlos,ooo Schweppes Australia Derby (2540 m at Bankstown on Saturday evening. Rockleigh Victory’s all-the-way win took the Knight stable’s prizemoney this season to more than sAust2 million, a new Australian record. The stable won sAustl.7 million in stakes last season and Rockleigh Victory’s win gave the allconquering Knight stable its second successive Australia Derby victory after Another Bart’s win last year in Brisbane. Driven by Knight’s son, Vin, Rockleigh Victory cleared the field at the

start and defied the challenge from his great New South Wales rival, Westburn Grant, after the pair raced together from the 1600 m mark.

Rockleigh Victory (7-4) carved out a final 800 m in 58.4 s to leave fellow Victorian Double Wipe (4-1) trailing 10 metres away in second place, with Westburn Grant, the 11-8 on favourite, finishing three metres away third. Vin Knight, who ended a luckless run as a reinsman in feature events this year, declared Rockleigh Victory to be one of the best three-year-old pacers he has trained.

“A super horse,” Knight commented as he returned to scale.

“There was no way Westburn Grant could beat me once I got to the

“Everything worked to perfection; it was a sensational effort.”

Knight said he was always confident he had Westburn Grant covered in the run. “Westburn Grant had to do it tough and there is no horse in the land that could sit outside Rockleigh Victory and beat him,” Knight said. Knight won the tactical race battle when he was allowed to cruise through two easy quarters in the middle section of the race.

Rockleigh Victory covered the staying test in 3:13.1 and returned a mile rate of 2:02.3. The reinsman said after his success that a start for Rockleigh Victory was never a certainty after

the colt won last week’s West Australia Derby. “He had a tough time in Perth and I didn’t want to knock him about,” Knight said.

“But I am glad I started him.”

Rockleigh Victory took his over-all stake earnings beyond sAust3oo,ooo from 17 career wins.

The colt is now a triple Derby winner after earlier victories in the South Australia and Western Australia blue ribbon classics.

The son of Victory Sarnel has now raced against Westburn Grant four times with the scoreboard reading two wins each. For Rockleigh Victory, his win avenged his New South Wales Derby defeat by Westburn Grant back in February.