Has Hezashocka lost his love for the mud?

Hezashocka’s appetite for heavily rain-affected ground may have waned with age after successfully plying his trade in such conditions on both sides of the Tasman over the years.

The well-performed son of Shocking has been a stakes winner on soft or worse going at home and in Australia, but a recent performance has hinted at a change in the eight-year-old.

“He went a very good race at Ellerslie on a better track, and we’re just not sure now,” said Shaun Clotworthy, who prepares the gelding with wife and part-owner Emma.

“Maybe as he’s got older, he doesn’t like the wet tracks so much.”

To that end, the Byerley Park trainers won’t be disappointed if the rain stays away for Hezashocka’s bid for top honours in Saturday’s Listed Campbell Infrastructure Rotorua Cup (2200m).

Following his run for third at Ellerslie earlier last month, Hezashocka was unplaced in the Listed Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m) at Otaki.

“It was a funny run race, they sat and then sprinted, and he just never got a chance to wind into it so it was a bit disappointing,” Clotworthy said.

“It wasn’t a truly run race at Otaki and we can forgive him for that, he’s nice and bright and his work’s been fine, but we wouldn’t want to see him on a bog track.”

Hezashocka won the Gr.3 Championship Stakes (2100m) as a three-year-old for the Clotworthys before OTI Racing bought into the ownership group and he relocated to the Victorian stable of Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr.

He won a further four races, including the Gr.3 Premier’s Cup (2400m) and Listed Gosford Cup (2200m) and finished third in the Gr.1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) before returning home.

“His form had tailed off in Australia, but his run at Ellerslie showed that he wanted to be competitive again and that may have been down to the better surface that day,” Clotworthy said.

“He’s been doing a bit of jumping and schooling and he’s taken to that quite well, I can’t really fault him.

“He seems to enjoy the jumping, it’s to perk him up in his training at the moment, but you never know, if he really took to it and we thought he was up to it then he could have a hurdle start.”

His stablemate Roc Up Ralph is proven in that role and will run in Saturday’s Laser Electrical Handicap (2200m) ahead of resuming his jumping career.

“We’re happy with him and he showed ability over the fences last year. He’ll probably be jumping next start at Te Rapa,” Clotworthy said.

Roc Up Ralph was an easy debut hurdle winner at Te Aroha last winter before maintaining his unbeaten record with a dominant performance at Woodville.

Another runner of interest for the stable at Rotorua will be Vadanova, who will open her preparation in the Donna Fleming Memorial (1215m).

“She trialled up nicely and this will be her first start for us, so we’ll see what happens,” Clotworthy said.

“She’s drawn an awkward gate so whether that’s a good thing if the does rain come, I’m not quite sure.”

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