The Rock To Emulate Anacheeva
Liberty Rock looks likely to be on the same path as Caulfield Guineas winner Anacheeva.
Trainer Peter Moody has previously used the Listed Essendon Nissan McKenzie Stakes as a successful Caulfield Guineas lead up.
This is going to be the chosen path for untapped colt Liberty Rock.
The son of Rock of Gibraltar will kick off his three year old campaign this weekend in the $120,000 Listed Essendon Nissan McKenzie Stakes this Saturday at Moonee Valley.
Liberty Rock is owned by similar interests as Anacheeva and connections are hoping he can follow in his famous footsteps.
In 2012 Anacheeva won the McKenzie Stakes before taking out the Caulfield Guineas.
“We're hopeful that he might be heading down a Caulfield Guineas path or something like that, so this is a nice race for him to resume in,” Moody said to racingvictoria.net.au.
“He wears the same colours as Anacheeva and he'll follow a similar-type path, I just hope he's got the same ability.”
Liberty Rock has only been to the races on two occasions where he beat all home except All Too Hard in the Listed Talindert Stakes in February.
His other start was two weeks prior in a Kyneton maiden winning comfortably by one length.
“He's prepped up nice, he had a good break the back end of the autumn and he's prepped up well all winter,” Moody said.
“He's a bold-going type of horse, he puts himself on or about the speed and we're very pleased with the way he's going.
“It's a hard 1200 first go at the Valley and he's had an extra couple of weeks. He probably could have gone to races in the past couple of weeks, but we decided to wait for this race thinking, at the 1200, he'd be ideally suited.”
Liberty Rock (barrier 4) is favourite paying $4 in the McKenzie Stakes where he will be partnered by Luke Nolen. Unbeaten gelding Awesome Bro (barrier 10) is at $4.20 with Peter Snowden's Rusambo (barrier 9) is also vying for favouritism at $4.60.
The Essendon Nissan McKenzie Stakes is one of two $120,000 Listed races over 1200m at the Valley this Saturday with more sprinters to go around in the Printhouse Carlyon Stakes.