Trainer’s best bet doesn’t disappoint

Stephen Marsh made a strong pre-race case for the well-related Ocean Rules breaking her maiden at Pukekohe and he was right on the money.

The Cambridge trainer had tipped our homebred as his best chance on the card and the daughter of Ocean Park duly obliged at her fourth appearance.

Marsh had been taken by the filly’s previous effort for fourth and expected the rise to 1400 metres to bring out the best in the three-year-old and wasn’t disappointed.

Ocean Rules settled three deep in midfield before improving across the top for rider Courtney Barnes and charged home wide out to win going away by four lengths.

She was purchased at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Online Yearling Sale for $26,000 by Marsh and Dylan Johnson Bloodstock and is the first winner for the Commands mare Vinorules.

Currently in foal to Embellish, the dam is a half-sister to Group winners Vavasour, Vilanova and Celebrity Dream with their mother the Group-winning Red Ransom mare Valpolicella.

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