Cockatoo Ridge owner Colin Loxton and trainer Neville Parnham presented another winner with potential when Rocket Juice led from barrier-to-box in the Glenroy Chaff Maiden (1211m) at Bunbury on Wednesday.
Loxton and Parnham were a dominant combination between 2009 and 2013 with the Blackfriars full-brothers Playing God and God Has Spoken winning a combined 10 black-type races to Group 1 level with earnings over $2.86 million.
Rocket Juice (Bondi) worked overtime to front a wall of horses vying for pole position at Bunbury and wouldn’t be denied when the late-comers emerged to prevail by a half-length from Lunch In Paris (Snitzel) and Lucky Lily (Santos).
He started an odds-on favourite after being run down by Regal Statue (Nicconi) a week earlier at Ascot. The Peters Investments homebred had the run of the race while Rocket Juice was left on a limb for the duration. He didn’t go down without a fight that day, either.
Parnham’s patient approach is paying dividends with Rocket Juice. He finished fourth on debut at Belmont in July behind another first-starter named Keshi Boom (Spirit Of Boom). Stewards noted he raced greenly and laid in on other runners in the straight so near-side bubble-cheekers were replaced by winkers for his second prep.
Misty Valley Thoroughbreds owner Tony Patrizi bred him using Bondi over his NZ-bred mare Juice who was a Group 1 winner of the NZ Bloodstock Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) at Te Aroha in 2010. Bondi (Snitzel) stands for a $6,600 (inc GST) service fee at Lynward Park in Bullsbrook.
Juice transferred to WA after making $32,000 from the Gilgai Farm draft at the 2018 Inglis Great Southern Sale at Oakland Junction. Rocket Juice is her fourth winner and there’s a Universal Ruler 2yo colt and Manhattan Rain filly foal that can make it a half-dozen.
