Henry Dwyer’s four-year-old Rock Dee Jay covered more ground than Burke and Wills when breaking his maiden at Seymour last Friday. Jockey Blaike McDougall drew the extreme outside in a field of fourteen and while his gelding jumped quickly, he didn’t have the pace to cross the field and McDougall found himself stuck on a limb behind the speed, four wide for the 1300-metre trip. The son of Awesome Rock was determined though, taking the lead at the 150-metre mark and stretching out to win by almost a length, given an easy time on the line by McDougall who never panicked in the run. “He quickened really nicely. He hit the front early and pricked his ears and had a look around, so there’s a bit more merit to his win”, the jock said post-race. Three times a runner-up in his first campaign, Dwyer’s runner could have been forgiven for folding up late after chewing the breeze, but instead showed good fighting qualities to see off the leading division and hold off the closers in an encouraging performance for the stable. “Good win…There’s still a bit of improvement to come with him”, Dwyer said. “He’s a big kid really, he doesn’t really know how to put them away.
“He’s still learning. A win like that will do the world of good for his confidence”.
Rock Dee Jay will step out in benchmark-58 company at his next start in around a fortnight, his trainer indicating dry ground and spacious tracks are the key to seeing the best from this galloper.