Cup Next For Shocking

Rockmount pretrainer Shocking cemented his place in the field for Australia's most famous race with a barnstorming win in Saturday's $251,500 Group Three Hotham Handicap (2500m) at Flemington.

In a welcome change of Derby Day luck for Mark Kavanagh, Shocking stormed home along the inside fence to record a brilliant win.

While he had already booked a spot into the field for the Melbourne Cup, the win saw bookmakers react and Betstar slashed his price from $21 into $9.

For Kavanagh it was the result he was craving following the race morning scratching of the Derby favourite, who is also pretrained at Rockmount, Shamoline Warrior.

"It's a funny game this," Kavanagh said. "You've got to roll with the punches." "You're down one minute and up the next."

The ease of the win was just what the stable was hoping for as they head toward his ultimate mission in three days time.

"I'm happy with him going in on Tuesday," Kavanagh commented. "That's the race I've set him for all of the way along."

Michael Rodd, who made it a double when he won the Wakeful Stakes aboard the homebred Faint Perfume, was thrilled with the win of Shocking.

"It's been a rocky kind of month for the stable," Rodd said. "But it feels so good to get this bloke through."

The main concern for Rodd today was getting a run when required after turning for home.

"He travelled pretty keen early, but then he switched off. I needed the luck coming into the straight, but I could see the leader starting to roll away." "Once I got through he just exploded," he summed up.

At the post Shocking held a two and a quarter length margin over the well backed Hume, despite being eased up by Michael Rodd.

Comeback galloper Irazu, who did most of his rehabilitation here at Rockmount, was third.

With today's winnings added to his bank roll, Shocking has now earned connections over $430,000 from just 14 starts.

Shocking is turning out another star galloper for businessman and racehorse owner Laurence Eales who went to $64,000 to buy him at the 2007 Magic Millions National Horses in Training Sale at the Gold Coast.