Guineas effort to decide trade 3YO’s Derby plan

3 min read

Written by Paul Vettise

Promising 3-year-old and possible Group 1 contender Roll The Dice (NZ) (Zacinto {GB}) was bought as a trade horse and while he hasn’t sold yet, interest is mounting.

He has won two of his four starts and on Saturday will face the sternest challenge of his brief career when he steps out in the G2 Schweppes Avondale Guineas at Ellerslie.

“I don’t do syndication any more, but I’ve got two or three very good clients I buy for,” managing owner Jen Campin said.

Jen Campin

“We normally trade and everything we’ve got is for sale.”

“We normally trade and everything we’ve got is for sale.” – Jen Campin.

Roll The Dice’s last-start defeat of the older horses over 2000 metres at Matamata further fuelled interest in him.

“I’ve had a couple of phone calls, but nothing’s happened yet. Saturday’s race will decide whether he proves he’s worth a nomination for the New Zealand Derby,” Campin said.

“It’s a NZ$30,000 late entry fee so it’s not to be sneezed at.”

Roll The Dice was purchased on behalf of Jen Campin Bloodstock at New Zealand Bloodstock’s South Island Sale in 2017 by Cambridge agent Phill Cataldo. The colt was offered by Park Hill Stables, of Timaru.

“I gave him a strict budget and he got him. I rely on Phill’s expertise.” – Jen Campin.

“I hadn’t seen him, but Phill has done a lot of work for me in the past,” Campin said.

Roll The Dice

“I usually get the last say because I pay the bills and Phill was down there and rang me about this horse.

“I gave him a strict budget and he got him. I rely on Phill’s expertise.”

Roll The Dice is trained at Matamata by former top class jockey Chad Ormsby, whose riding career was blighted by weight issues, from his Riverrock Farm base at Matamata.

“Chad is very happy with Roll The Dice and he’s a good horseman,” Campin said. “You rely on what the experts say.”

“He put paid to them away pretty easily and he just keeps improving and getting better all the time.” – Chad Ormsby.

Ormsby hasn’t been surprised by the development of Roll The Dice.

“He got broken in and sent to me for a Ready to Run Sale preparation, but I turned him out straight away – he wasn’t strong enough,” he said.

Orsmby said the gelding hasn’t missed a beat since his last victory.

Trainer Chad Ormsby

“He carried a kilo more than any other 3-year-old in that race. He put paid to them away pretty easily and he just keeps improving and getting better all the time.

“I think he’s going to be right in it if he gets the right sort of run.” – Chad Ormsby.

“His work this week has been better than ever as well. I think he’s going to be right in it if he gets the right sort of run.”

Ormsby echoed Campin’s comments about Roll The Dice’s possible G1 Vodafone New Zealand Derby participation.

“It’s not the be all and end all and even if he won he wouldn’t be a definite starter,” he said. “There’s always the South Australian and Queensland Derbys.”

The major staying name in Roll The Dice’s pedigree is Maybe Better (Intergaze), who won the G3 Coongy H. and the G3 Saab H. and finished third in the 2006 G1 Melbourne Cup behind the Japanese pair of Delta Blues (Jpn) (Dance In The Dark {Jpn}) and Pop Rock (Jpn) (Helissio {Fr}).