Mitchell Street Scratching Opens Up Rocky Cup

RACEVIEW trainer Matt Heilbronn breathed a sigh of relief with his star bitch Dulceria when speedy Mitchell Street was forced out of Friday night's Group 3 Rockhampton Cup.

The Jedda Cutlack-trained Mitchell Street injured a hock and had to be scratched from the $40,000-to-the-winner final.

“He is very speedy early and he was certain to cross both my bitch (Dulceria) and Milligan to the first turn,” said Matt.

FIELDS AND FORM ROCKHAMPTON FRIDAY NIGHT

“That would have made it tougher for Dulceria.

“But, with him out of the race, it gives my bitch a strong chance to even lead the final.

“Milligan will stay straight early and could even drift a little off the track. That will certainly help our cause.”

Rockhampton Cup Ht 2. 510m
1st – Box 1 Jagger Moves – Robert Jacobsen
30.06. 2 1/2 x 1
Dulceria – 30.24 (2nd)
Strategise – 30.31 (3rd) pic.twitter.com/u60U3EYoay

— John Brasch (@Bunny_Brasch) April 22, 2022

Dulceria had not been on the Rocky track before running second to Jagger Moves in her heat last week.

“The track got 20 mls of rain between races five and six last week,” said Matt.

“So by the time it came to her race, race seven, the track was a bog.”

Dulceria comes into the Rocky final a Group 3 Townsville Cup winner, third in a Listed Rising Stars and a finalist in the Group 2 Queensland Futurity and Ipswich Futurity.

Matt will give her a week off after the Rocky Cup final and then set her for the heats of the Brother Fox at Dubbo on May 14.

“I'm not sure if I will get a chance to trial her there or not,” he said.

“I was initially tossing up about putting her in the Million Dollar Chase, but a country Queensland Cup is nice as well and those semis of the Chase are tough.

“I'd like to get a decent box draw in NSW. She's been there a few times and drawn inside five only once.”

Matt has just finished educating a litter of Whiskey Riot-Cindy Rumble pups, half relations to Dulceria.

“I've got two very good bitches and two dogs who will be smart,” he said.

“In fact, there is a bitch in this litter running better times than Dulceria did at the same age.”

Tony Brett-trained, Steve Williams-owned Milligan is the likely hot favourite after running the quickest of the heats last week.

But he comes up against a tough field which also includes recent Group 3 Bundaberg Cup winner Jagger Moves and Group 1 finalist Little Byrnes, as well as star bitch I'm Explosive.