3 minute read
The Donna Logan and Chris Gibbs juggernaut rolled on at their home patch on the weekend as the duo picked up another five victories on the eight race card at Ruakaka.
While exciting prospects Mongolian Falcon and Valley Girl showed they are in for a stellar spring with comprehensive performances, it was underrated mare Rocknrolla who displayed just how tough she is when scoring a gritty win over 1400 metres following a bumping duel with stablemate In Flight in the home straight.
“They were both going for the same gap and I thought ‘what are you doing’,” exclaimed Logan after the race.“He’s such a big horse it meant she had to get out of his way but that was probably the winning of the race as the inside of the track looks gone and he was definitely struggling down there.
“She got out in the better going and that paid dividends.”It was the Towkay mare’s seventh win from 34 starts and sits alongside ten minor placings which has seen her take her stakes earnings to in excess of $100,000 in her career to date.
“She’s ultra consistent and tries her guts out,” noted Logan.“That’s all you want in a racehorse, the ones that try and put their best in every time.”
Logan also had praise for the ride of apprentice Ulrika Holmquist who made good use of her 2kg allowance.“When the tracks are testing like this and you have older horses that know their way around then the claim of the kids works well,” She said.
“It gives them an opportunity and gets some weight relief for those horses that need it.”The five win haul saw Logan and Gibbs head to the top of the National Trainer’s Premiership at the conclusion of the first week of the new season, just one victory ahead of Kevin Myers who claimed three wins at Riccarton on the day.