| Punters can expect to see a more imposing version of Watch Me Rock when he launches his Railway Stakes defence at Ascot later this year. The six-year-old gelding cooled his heels in Victoria following unplaced runs in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) and Group 1 All Star Mile in the autumn before returning home to spell at Ridgeport Farm. Those interstate performances followed a breakout WA campaign during the spring which contained a third in the Group 3 Eurythmic Stakes (1400m), back-to-back victories in the Group 3 Asian Beau Stakes (1400m) and Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) and a gallant runner-up placing to Cosmic Crusader in the Group 1 Northerly Stakes (1800m). “He’s such a big, powerful horse … he’s come back better,” co-trainer Grant Williams said. “He spelled magnificently and we’re really excited about what he can do later on in the year." | “He’s just a beautiful horse who we know is at the level and that’s very important when you’re mapping out a campaign.” With a rating well in excess of 100, Watch Me Rock appears destined for weight-for-age assignments for the bulk of his career from this point on. But Team Williams is keen to aim him up at the Railway, the famous Ascot mile outing in all likelihood sandwiched between the Group 2 Lee-Steere Stakes (1400m) and Northerly. “He’ll naturally get more weight than he carried last year … that’s the price you pay,” Williams said. “But if we have Western Empire going around in a Railway, it would mean that Watch Me Rock might not carry as much as he normally would as a winner of the race the previous year. “It’s a nice problem to have. It’s just great to have him back in the system and he looks great.” |
