Rock and Glory scores easy win in Wild Rose

The $53,700 Wild Rose Handicap for fillies and mares Saturday at Northlands Park was pretty much over when the heavily favored Rock and Glory, who paid $3.30, broke sharply from the inside post.

On paper, she was much the best, and when she cruised to the lead in the six-furlong dash that drew eight horses, the result was a foregone conclusion.

With Rico Walcott aboard, Rock and Glory looked very comfortable while carving out fast interior fractions of 22.45 and 44.56 seconds. She held a seven-length lead heading into the stretch and was never threatened while easily holding off Canaveral Leader by 3 1/2 lengths. Canaveral Leader stumbled at the start, quickly recovered, and chased the winner the whole way. Holiday Babe rallied from well back to finish third.

Trainer Robertino Diodoro, who watched the race from Canterbury Downs, said he was pretty confident she was going to win when she made the lead early.

“Honestly, I never think like that,” said Diodoro. “But I knew that if she broke OK, she was going to be tough to beat. I was pretty sure when she hit the first turn with Rico not really pushing her she was going to win.”

The final time was 1:10.10.

Diodoro said if Rock and Glory came out of the race in good shape, she would make her next start in the one-mile $50,000 John Patrick at Northlands on June 12.

Rock and Glory was bred in Kentucky by her owners Mercedes Stables LLC.