La Rocque (Image: Racing Photos)
A minor setback last month means filly La Rocque might not be fully wound-up for Saturday's pivotal Atlantic Jewel Stakes at The Valley, but she won't go around unnoticed.
The Kuroshio filly, who is already a Stakes winner after just three runs, will present for the Listed race in a new set of racing colours after Seymour Bloodstock bought into her in recent days.
"Seymour Bloodstock race a few horses with us and they approached me and made an offer and after going back and forth a few times, we took an offer we were happy with," the filly's co-breeder, part-owner and trainer John McArdle said on Friday.
"Darren (Thomas) and Pilko (Mark Pilkington) have obviously seen the horse and they are good judges and good form students. They identified her going forward and we were happy to sell part of her to them."
McArdle hopes the filly can turn in a run on Saturday that shows she is on the right path to next month's Group 1 Thousand Guineas despite a mixed start to her spring campaign.
"She was coming along well but we've had a few little setbacks," McArdle said. "She was underdone first-up (fifth) but I think she ran the fastest last 600 (metres) of the day at The Valley.
"Then, she was meant to run two weeks ago at The Valley, but she had a bit of infection and a bit of a setback.
"She's not fully wound-up for this but I think she will still run a nice race heading towards hopefully a Thousand Guineas start."
McArdle said La Rocque's inside barrier shouldn't present too many problems over the 1200-metre trip.
"She's raced forward before," he said. "She won her first two starts from on speed but while we don't have to go mad in front, we don't have to go back either.
"She's a talented filly and the best is still yet to come."
A win by La Rocque would also register McArdle's first for the new season.
"It's been maybe the slowest start to the season we've had," he explained. "We've got 50 in work and there are a lot of nice young horses like Tycoon Mumma that will hopefully get up and get going."
McArdle is also hoping for a little more luck in the breeding barn for La Rocque's dam Bianslick.
"She's actually missed (getting into foal) her last two years but she is going back to Toronado over the next week or so," he said.