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El Roca has been retired from racing and will stand at Gerry Harvey’s Westbury Stud at Karaka, the property where he was raised and prepared for sale, this breeding season.
The lightly raced son of Fastnet Rock finishes his career with three wins from nine starts including two at stakes level.
Trained by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young in Cambridge El Roca was an impressive winner on debut at Taupo before claiming the Listed Westbury Stud Challenge Stakes (1200m). He was then pitted against the best spring three-year-olds in Australia when second to Eclair Big Bang in the Gr.3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m).
A hampered run in the Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas saw him finish fifth to Long John, Divine Calling, Shamus Award, and Dissident. He then finished second to Terravista in the Gr.3 Liverpool Stakes (1300m) at Warwick Farm and was runner up to Dissident in the Gr.1 Randwick Guineas (1600m).
Stepping out of the comfort of his own age group El Roca then contested the Gr.1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill taking third place behind Gordon Lord Byron and Speediness.
At the conclusion of the 2013-14 racing season El Roca headed the New Zealand 3YO Free Handicap (1200-1600m) with an allotted weight of 60kg rating him above Group One winners Bounding, Atlante, Recite, Puccini, Costa Viva, Lucia Valentina, Rising Romance, and Ruud Awakening. In Australia El Roca completed his three-year-old season with a Timeform Rating of 121, equal to Dissident, Eurozone and Notlistenin’tome.
El Roca will stand for an introductory fee of $7,500 + GST.
