With his countrymen cutting a swathe through stakes races all around him, poor old A Shin Rook (JPN) must have felt as if he was letting the side down in his adopted homeland - before putting things right in Saturday’s Listed City Of Adelaide Stakes (1400m) at Morphettville.
The Anthony Freedman-trained gelding had been successful in four of his previous 15 Australian starts but he had fallen short in six previous attempts in stakes races including a narrow loss at his most recent start in the Listed Kilmore Cup.
It didn’t look good for his supporters early on as the son of Heart’s Cry was locked in on the fence at the rear of the field. But the seas parted coming around the home turn and he went from last to fifth without spending a lot of energy. It just needed Paul Gatt to thread the needle and he executed it brilliantly.
A Shin Rook (JPN) held the challenge of the fast-finishing Dexter You Devil (Ambidexter) by a short-neck with a further three-quarter of a length back to Hard Empire (Hard Spun) in third.
A Shin Rook arrived in Australia with just one win, in a 3yo maiden over 1400m at Hanshin, from nine starts although he had placed in a further five of those.
He was the 11th of 13 named foals out of the Alydeed mare Eishin Linden (USA). All made it to the track and won with her previous best being the stakes-placed A Shin B L (Sakura Bakushin O).
A Shin Rook becomes the 44th stakes-winner for leading sire Heart's Cry who has been so wonderfully represented in these parts by Lys Gracieux and Admire Rakti.
It’s a pedigree not unknown in Australia as Eishin Linden (USA) is a half-sister to the stakes placed Trempolino mare Deviletta who is the dam of the Grade 1 Keeneland Breeders' Futurity winner and Kentucky Derby third Wicked Style (Macho Uno) a former resident at Oaklands Stud.
