“It was an amazing run today,” an emotional co-trainer Troy Corstens said. “I’m very lost for words, which is unlike me.”
“It was a perfect ride today. He did such a great job Stephen. He sat behind Vadamos in the slip stream and kept him out of that wind the whole way.”
“We were confident the whole way through. We always through he had the Group One in him.”
“This is my first Group One and to do it with my Dad is very special. Not a lot of people get to spend much time with their Dad, but I spend six or seven hours with him and as quirky as he is, he’s a champion.”
“He’s an amazing looking animal and I’m sure he’s got a bright stud career ahead of him,” Corstens added.
Corstens paid tribute to all connections for their faith in the father-son training team and also thanks his mate Brad Spicer for selecting and purchasing the entire.
It was at the 2013 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale that Spicer and others fell in love with Awesome Rock and they went to $575,000 to secure him from the draft of Newgate Farm.
The purchase was a masterstroke with the quality stud prospect now boasting earnings of over $2 million.
Regular rider Stephen Baster was over the moon with the success, fighting back tears when speaking on Racing.com after the race.
“He’s been a great horse for me,” Baster said. “Obviously losing the Australian Cup (on protest) was hard. I’ve got my little daughter at the races today and it’s so special to ride a Group One winner with her here.”
“He’s a bloody good horse,” Baster added.
The win was welcomed by Western Australian based breeders Gold Front Thoroughbreds, they will offer, through Newgate Farm, a Snitzel half sister to Awesome Rock at the 2017 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
With the release of the catalogue imminent, Awesome Rock’s half sister is confirmed as Lot 648.
Both Awesome Rock and the sale bound Snitzel filly are from the Australian group winning and New Zealand stakes winning Giant’s Causeway mare Awesome Planet.
And while Awesome Rock is no Winx – they do have a couple of things in common. Both are graduate of the same sale – sold at the 2013 Gold Coast Yearling Sale – and both from mares who won the listed Soliloquy Stakes in New Zealand before retiring to stud.
