Watch Me Rock has fulfilled a day of firsts for Ridgeport Farm with a career-high victory in G3 Asian Beau Stakes (1400m) at Ascot.
Saturday started on a winning note for the Waroona stud when resident sire Rommel doubled up with Battle Commander (TABtouch Hcp) and Desert Whisper (Drummond Golf Hcp) and it reached a crescendo when Watch Me Rock landed the feature race in Ridgeport’s Royal Blue & Lime Green Diagonal Striped silks.
Watch Me Rock (5g Awesome Rock – What Choux Want by Jimmy Choux) races for a Ridgeport Farm partnership of Santo Guagliardo, Marge Ojapold, Ben Gudjonsson and Angelina Blaskovic after failing to make a $40,000 reserve at the 2022 Perth Magic Millions.
Winners are grinners after the Asian Beau Stakes: L-R Marge Ojapold, Ben Gudjonsson, Willie Pike, Santo Guagliardo and Angelina Blaskovic / Photo: Western Racepix
He was a Listed winner of the Grandstand Cup (1500m) and Old Comrade Stakes (1600m) in the autumn and the Asian Beau sent his earnings to $767,000 with the inclusion of $200,000 in Westspeed Bonuses.
Peters Investments homebred Cosmic Crusader (Maurice) was backed off the map into a $1.40 favourite and he led the Asian Beau field from fellow cerise and white colour-bearer Luvnwar (War Decree) into the straight.
Watch Me Rock was ready to strike under Willie Pike and he raced past the stablemates before holding off Rope Me In (Playing God) to score by a short-neck. “It’s nice to make amends today because we were desperately unlucky first-up,” Pike said referring to a close third to Peters Investments galloper Diamond Scene (So You Think) in last month’s Eurythmic Stakes (1400m).
“He had a good run but there were a few moments when I thought we might get held up again. He had the last crack at them and now it’s three weeks into the (G1) Railway Stakes. It’s a race that’s close to my heart and I think he’s good enough with a good ride and a good run.”
Watch Me Rock is prepared by Grant and Alana Williams who lead the WA Trainers Prizemoney Premiership with earnings of $1.34 million and there’s $822,000 allocated to the winner of the Railway on November 22.
His Gold Front Thoroughbreds sire Awesome Rock is also making ground on the WA Sires Premiership following last week’s LR Northam Cup (1600m) winner Red Sun Sensation. He got Watch Me Rock from What Choux Want who has a Rommel 2yo filly that has been retained by Marge Ojapold. The mare’s most recent foals for the Ridgeport manager are a yearling colt by Long Leaf and a filly on the ground by Maschino.
Ridgeport principal Santo Guagliardo also weighed in with $120,000 to secure a colt by French-bred sire Hello Youmzain (Kodiac) from Watch Me Rock’s second-dam Bankside Belle (Volksraad) at the 2025 NZB Yearling Sale at Karaka. The colt has been named Youmzain Bolt and he was purchased in conjunction with former Singapore trainer Stephen Gray who is now based back home in New Zealand at Copper Belt Lodge in Palmerston North.
Ridgeport Farm stands Rommel (Commands) and Ducimus (Snitzel) for $5,500 service fees (inc GST). For bookings or more information, contact Marge Ojapold (0497 478 231), Grant Burns (0410 683 470), Steve Hoare (0409 987 970).
