Versatile performer Red Rock will play a lone hand for Victoria in heats of the Group 3 Golden Sands (600m) at Albion Park in Brisbane on Thursday night.

Trained by Steve White, Red Rock is a litter brother of superstar Sennachie who recently has provided White with a ‘Golden’ run at Albion Park. He claimed the G3 Golden Ticket prior to securing the G1 Gold Bullion.

And White is hoping he strikes more ‘Gold’ with Red Rock, who hasn’t the profile of his champion sibling but is highly rated by White.

Red Rock finished second, beaten two lengths, to local pin-up Infrared Lad last week at Albion Park in a lead-up to the Golden Sands series.

“He’ll be better for the outing… He’s taken a bit of time to get over the humidity up here,” White said. “But Infrared Lad is a star… He’s going to get the perfect run, and he’s the one to beat.”

White has long maintained that it was always going to be a situation of seeing the best of Red Rock over more ground. And since switching to middle distance events, he’s strutted his stuff!

And that was evident in a heat of the G1 Sale Cup (650m) on Boxing Day when Red Rock staged a herculean effort to finish second after coming from near last.

“He sat four-wide all the way, it was an enormous run,” White said.

A week earlier, Red Rock defeated reigning G1 Sandown Cup hero Rajasthan by almost seven lengths at Sale in a smart 36.98sec.

And two weeks prior to that, he accounted for Slingshot Hammer by nearly four and a half lengths in a tidy 34.11sec over 595m at Sandown.

So, will he get even better as he moves into staying races over the 700m-plus trip? Well, it seems the jury is out at present.

“We’ll play it by ear,” was White’s simple response.

Red Rock (Box 6), who has won 10 races (with one second and eight thirds) from 22 starts, is quoted at $3.20 on TAB Fixed Odds betting in Heat 1 (Race 7, 9.25pm) – behind Defy (Box 1) at $3.10. Infrared Lad (Box 4) is $3.50.

Pawnote: Sennachie has won four group races at Albion Park. He also took out the G1 Brisbane Cup and G2 Queensland Derby. And he’s the current Albion Park 520-metre track record holder (29.38sec).
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WATCH: Red Rock (1) encountered early interference when running 2nd to Infrared Lad (5) last week.
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