Danzero’s girl rocks again in Queensland

She’s a darling of Queensland racing with 10 wins from 18 starts in the state, the last three of them in a row, and she faces every challenge with her trademark speed and zest for racing. Her name is Zero Rock and she’s an undoubted star for Arrowfield’s marvellous stallion Danzero .

Such is her popularity, the 5YO mare (ex Broc ‘n’ Roll by Brocco) started 2nd favourite in today’s $200,000 BRC Lough Neagh S. 1350m LR, despite her previous lack of success beyond 1200 metres. She settled beautifully in fifth place for jockey Chris Munce, and rolled forward round the turn to take the lead at the top of the straight. A decisive burst of acceleration quickly settled the outcome and Zero Rock won by a length from the favourite Listen Son, with more than two lengths back to Lucky Luna in third place.

The victory, her richest to date, took her earnings for owner-breeder David Devine and trainer Kelso Wood to $605,550, and added a second Listed Stakes win to her record, after she claimed the Qld Tatt’s RC Tattersall’s Classic LR on 27 November.

Wood was confident she would cope with today’s trip. He said, “She’s always had the dash early in her career but I’ve always felt she would run 1400 metres.”

His challenge now is to find another race for her ahead of the $400,000 R.M.Williams Magic Millions Cup on 15 January – a race in which she finished second this year.

Winning rider Munce was full of praise for Zero Rock, whose form is showing the benefit of maturity and strength. “They went quick and she relaxed well but she always keeps trying. I came around them four deep and she went very quick and was able to sustain it.”

Zero Rock is the season’s leading earner by Danzero, whose Australian prizemoney since 1 August totals $1,359,721. He sits inside the top 20 sires by winners (44) and wins (62), and Zero Rock and 3YO Startsmeup, who posted his third stakes placing in today’s BRC Gold Edition Plate LR, are among Danzero’s 61 stakes performers (7.4% of his runners).

Danzero has 20 yearlings catalogued for the 2011 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, including three lots in the Arrowfield draft : a sister to talented 3YO sprinter Pyrography, a colt from a three-quarter sister to dual G1 winner Victory Vein and a grand-daughter of Group 2-winning juvenile Maxamore.