Road To Rock has been secured for stud duties and will head to Wellfield Lodge in New Zealand after his swansong in the G1 Doomben Cup this Saturday.  He will join Alamosa and Handsome Ransom at the Palmerston North nursery.

Road To Rock (4h Encosta de Lago – Trewornan by Midyan) – who is prepared by Anthony Cummings – will have his racetrack swansong this weekend in the A$500,000 Doomben Cup-Gr.1 (2020m).

“We believe he is the highest-rated and best-performed son of Encosta de Lago to go to stud to date,” Bill Gleeson of Wellfield Lodge said.  “He beat Black Piranha in the G1 George Main Stakes last spring and was considered unlucky not to have beaten Rangirangdoo in the G1 Doncaster Mile last month when his rider weighed in heavy.

“I believe you’ve got to have horses who can win these major mile races in Australia to attract the Aussies to buy their progeny.”

Road To Rock goes into Saturday’s Doomben Cup on the back of a G1 win in the AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes and a G2 second to Metal Bender in the G2 Hollindale Stakes.

The Anthony Cummings trained colt first came to attention as a three year-old winning Listed events in Sydney (AJC Carbine Club Hcp) and Melbourne (MRC Victoria Gold Cup).  All up, he has built a 35: 6-9-1 career card with earnings over $1.20 million.

Road To Rock is by Coolmore Stud’s Champion Australia Sire Encosta de Lago and is one of three winners from the winning Midyan mare Trewornan.  She has also left the stakes-placed True Doubt (Redoute’s Choice).  Second dam Miss Silca Key (Welsh Saint) was a G3 winner at Royal Ascot.

Standing 16.2 hands high, Road To Rock has been syndicated into 50 shares with Wellfield Lodge holding the majority interest in the horse.  He will stand at an initial fee of $12,500 + gst with a live foal guarantee.