Special horse ends 13-year hiatus from training

After 13 years away from the harness racing scene it took a special horse for Grenfell horsewoman Leanne Staunton to get her trainers licence back.

That horse is three-year-old filly Rock Queen who will head into her next task at Bathurst on Wednesday night unbeaten in two starts.

“I bred this filly and watched her grow and thought I better get my licence back for this one,” said Staunton.

“She’s very special in her own way, very quirky, and has always shown promise.

“I bred her mother (Heavy Rocker by Famous Forever) as well so I have been breeding from this line for a while.

“This filly was actually a return service!

“It was back when they were giving away free services to Mr Feelgood and unfortunately we lost the first foal by Mr Feelgood and we had a return service, so put the mare back in foal to him and we were lucky to get this filly.

“Hopefully she can continue her good form and make it a hat-trick for us.”

Known as ‘Precious’ around the stables, Rock Queen is in race seven with fellow Grenfell driver Mark Hewitt taking the reins. See fields here.

“I have two in work but Mark always says, you only need one good horse,” said Staunton. “Racing has changed a lot in my time away from the races and it’s exciting to be back with a horse like this.

“The atmosphere is very different as there would to be a lot more families hanging around the stables and it is a lot more quiet now but the racing is better and so are the tracks.

“I’m still using all my old stuff so I need to win some new gear and get a quick hitch gig . . . we use Mark’s gig for the races,” laughed  Staunton.

Despite her years away from the sport, Staunton has always been involved in trotting and it stems back to her grandfather Keith Ritchie, a foundation members of the Grenfell Harness Racing Club.

“I had a bit of time out of the industry to focus on my riding horses,” said Staunton.

“I have paint horses and do a bit of reining and western stuff.

“It is nice to be back in harness racing, especially with a horse like Precious.

“Hopefully after this start at Bathurst she will go through to the Breeders Challenge – there is a heat scheduled at Parkes.”

Rock Queen made her debut at Young on December 15, 2020 and rated 2:02.7.

She was then produced at Bathurst on December 26, 2020, and won in a mile rate of 1:57.9.

By Amanda Rando for Harnesslink