Ima Roca Bee breaks her maiden in Saturday’s Ryder Stakes at Otaki.

The Westbury Stud-based El Roca (Fastnet Rock) sired his second stakes winner on Saturday when Ima Roca Bee (2 f ex Shelly Bee by Pentire) won the Ryder Stakes (Listed, 1200m) at Otaki, the final New Zealand stakes race of the season. 

Ima Roca Bee finished a close second last start in the Castletown Stakes (Listed, 1200m) on 5 June and on Saturday scored a length and a quarter victory over Yeaboi (Belardo), with Flash Mary - who is also by El Roca - back in third. 

Ima Roca Bee was bred and is and raced by her trainer, Karyn McQuade, and her husband Hamish. 

"We're just thrilled with the win as she has showed us she has ability, but probably wasn't quite there mentally early on," Hamish McQuade said.

"She just wanted to do everything at a million miles an hour and that was how she was in her first couple of starts.

"After she had a break, she settled down nicely and has come back really well.

"She has a deceptive appearance as she isn't that big overall, but she has long legs and a really long stride."

The filly be aimed at the O'Leary Fillies Stakes (Listed, 1200m) at Whanganui in September before being given an extended break. 

A tilt at the Listed O'Leary Fillies Stakes (1200m) at Whanganui in early September is now the aim with Ima Roca Bee, before she heads to the paddock for an extended summer break.

"We'll give her a few days off now and then head down to Whanganui for the stakes race there," McQuade said.

"I do think she will go on the better tracks but at this stage our plan is to give her a really good spell after Whanganui and then get her back for some autumn targets.

"She comes from a nice family that has done well for us and ultimately she will become part of our broodmare band, so with a stakes win already, she is a very valuable filly for us."

El Roca's fee is advertised at NZ$8,000 (plus GST). He stood his first season at stud in 2015 and his progeny are headed by 2020 Levin Classic (Gr 1, 1600m) winning filly Travelling Light who is from his second crop.