Following a promising third-place debut behind Boss Over Boss and Sooryavanshi over three furlongs in a two-year-old maiden special weight, Pop Rocket wasted no time finding her best stride in her second career outing, stepping up to 4 ½ furlongs to secure her maiden victory.
Piloted by veteran jockey Ian Spence and conditioned by trainer Philip Feanny, the grey filly by Successful Native out of Salvation bounced back in winning fashion, though the path to the winner’s enclosure demanded every ounce of her grit.
Pop Rocket raced prominently just off the early pace dictated by front-runner Mandy (ridden by Tevin Foster). As the field went by the dummy rails, with about a furlong and a half remaining, Pop Rocket launched her bid, seizing command of the race.
However, the victory was far from secure. In the dying strides of the contest, newcomer Clocky Tee (Chalrick Budhai) unleashed a powerful late surge, testing the resolve of both filly and rider.
Digging deep in the final yards, Ian Spence extracted a final effort from Pop Rocket, who held on desperately to score by a neck. Clocky Tee delivered an encouraging debut performance to finish a clear second, three lengths ahead of the early pacesetter, Mandy, in third.
- Final Time: 54.3 seconds
- Fractional Splits: 23.4 (first quarter) x 47.4 (half-mile)
