Page 32 - October 2015

All American Gold Cup-G1
ROCK YOU
By Tracy Gantz
Rock You hasn’t always found 440 yards to his liking, but he relished it in the Sept. 5 All American Gold Cup-G1. The gelding
proved to be at the top of his game during All American weekend at Ruidoso Downs.
“He left the gate and stumbled just a little bit,” said Micah McKinney, whose fam-
ily owns Rock You in the name of Reliance Ranches LLC. “It was just a gritty perfor- mance. It was so fun to watch because he appeared to have it in his mind that he wanted to win that race.”
After Houdini grabbed the early lead, Rock You came on to wrest it away. Several other rivals surged forward, making the finish very close. However, Rock You would not be denied and he posted a neck victory in :21.819.
“He’s a real calm horse,” said jockey Cesar Gomez. “We got in the gate, and he had to reset a little. It’s a good thing we had enough time. He stumbled a little at the break, and I picked him up and he went on.”
McKinney noted that
Rock You didn’t surprise his connections as much as he
did the bettors. They made
Too Flash For You the 17-10
favorite, while Rock You
was the longest price in the
10-horse field. He paid $49.40 to win.
“He’s a good horse, and he can really run,” said trainer Eddie D. Willis.
McKinney praised his trainer, saying, “Eddie did a really good job getting him ready for the race. Rock You did everything right. It was a really fun thing to watch. And the horse galloped back great after the race. In fact, two days later he was on his way to California.”
Los Alamitos announced that Rock
You earned a berth in the Champion of Champions-G1 at that track. The prestigious race for older horses is slated for Dec. 12.
“He’ll probably be in the Jaime Gomez barn (at Los Alamitos),” said Willis.
The McKinneys purchased Rock You for $80,000 at the 2012 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale. Early the following year, they gelded him, and at 2 he ran third in the Golden State Million Futurity-G1 at Los
Alamitos. He captured the Ruidoso Derby-G1 the next year, as well as his first of two runnings of the Bob Moore Memorial Stakes-G2.
“It was really fun to win that twice with the same horse,” said McKinney. “Rock You is a great, solid horse. He has stayed very consistent for us. After last year, he had a couple of bone chips removed in his ankles—nothing serious. He had some time off.”
Rock You’s second Bob Moore Memorial vic- tory was his first race back this year. With the All American Gold Cup win, he raised his record to eight wins in 20 starts for earnings of $759,565.
Steve Burns bred Rock You in California from the mare Babe On The Fly, who
All American Gold Cup winning connections include owner Reliance Ranches LLC, trainer Eddie D. Willis & jockey Cesar Gomez
30 SPEEDHORSE, October 2015
Ruidoso Downs $200,000 • 440 yards :21.819 • si 83
Stel Corona
Foose
Summertime Quickie
ROCK YOU, ’11-g.
Strawfly Special
Babe On The Fly
Six On The Beach
Linda Earley Photography