An Awesome chance
AWESOME Rock’s performance in today’s Underwood Stakes could provide an answer on whether the five-year-old entire will become Victoria’s big hope in next month’s Cox Plate.
With super mare Winx and the highly talented Hartnell and Lucia Valentina heading the charge from Sydney, Awesome Rock is ready to take the next step and enhance his future stud career if he can snatch a Group 1 victory during the Spring Carnival. With victory at his most recent start in the Group 2 Dato Tan Chin Tin Stakes at Moonee Valley three weeks ago, the son of Fastnet Rock won ballot-free entry into Australasia’s weight-forage championship.
He gets another chance at Group 1 glory in the Turnbull which is a race Troy Corstens, who co-trains with his father Leon, says he is capable of winning.
He described as “awesome” his work on the Flemington course proper on Tuesday morning when he galloped over 1600m, working home over the last 400m in 22.48sec.
Stephen Baster, who has ridden Awesome Rock in his past races, rode him in Tuesday’s gallop against Mr Individual, which runs in today’s Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.
Even with Winx being almost unbackable to win her second Cox Plate, Corstens isn’t frightened of the task confronting the entire which had the title of Australia’s unluckiest horse when he was first over the line in last year’s Australian Cup but lost on a controversial protest to Preferment.
The emergence of Awesome Rock has drawn together two of the late Bart Cummings’ key staff – Leon Corstens and Joe Agresta – and they are both excited about their involvement with another potential Group 1 horse.
Corstens was Cummings’ long-time foreman, while Agresta was his main trackwork rider who rode and travelled with some of the Cup’s King’s champions.
A hip and recurring knee injury has forced Agresta out of the saddle as he waits for surgery, but he is at the stables each day to help on the ground, saddling up the gallopers.
“I get there just after 4am,” Agresta said.
“I am not riding because of the injuries I’ve got. It’s just wear and tear from riding for 50 years.
“I miss it and it hurts, but what can I do.”
Agresta said he was now reflecting on some of Cummings’ wise words by not looking back, but looking to the future.
“I am glad to be back with Leon, we go back to about 1980,” he said.
“We agree with each other and disagree with Troy and my eldest son Scott who has three or four horses with Troy through a syndicate.”
And Troy Corstens says there’s never a dull moment when his father and Agresta get talking.
“It’s great to have the two old boys there, it’s fantastic,” he said.
“It’s good fun. They have forgotten stuff that we will never learn.”