A horse labelled as lazy by his trainer has emerged as an Epsom Handicap wildcard with a victory in the mud at Randwick.
Rock Sturdy, the $2.50 favourite, turned in a no-nonsense performance to down Foreign Prince ($6) by three quarters of a length in the TAB Early Quaddie Handicap (1400m) on Saturday.
Rock Sturdy
He has now won two of his three starts this campaign to earn a shot at the Group Two Tramway Handicap in two weeks, a race which will determine whether he progresses to the Group One Epsom Handicap.
“It’s definitely on the agenda but he’d be wanting to win the Tramway,” trainer Joe Pride said of Epsom plans.
Pride wasn’t surprised Rock Sturdy put in the minimum effort required to score on Saturday.
“He’s dead lazy. I gave him three trials and I had to put the blinkers on him to even get him going in a trial,” he said.
“But he’s gone to a different level now and he’s strengthened up.”
Winning jockey Hugh Bowman said Rock Sturdy always travelled well in the heavy ground and could have won by further if he’d applied himself.
“He switched off, he’s just that idle,” Bowman said.
“But he was a lot better today. He travelled like a good horse needs to travel whereas the other day he was on and off the bit.”
