A lesson in tough love from his boss Gai Waterhouse was all the motivation Blake Shinn needed to rise to the top on Epsom Handicap day at Randwick.After a couple of stakes wins early for rival trainers, Shinn came out on the Waterhouse-trained Rock Kingdom in the Epsom (1600m) with clear instructions to do his best to give the premier trainer her sixth win in the race.His best was what was needed to get the four-year-old across the line a half-head in front of Rangirangdoo."Blake rode a sensatio
A lesson in tough love from his boss Gai Waterhouse was all the motivation Blake Shinn needed to rise to the top on Epsom Handicap day at Randwick.
After a couple of stakes wins early for rival trainers, Shinn came out on the Waterhouse-trained Rock Kingdom in the Epsom (1600m) with clear instructions to do his best to give the premier trainer her sixth win in the race.
His best was what was needed to get the four-year-old across the line a half-head in front of Rangirangdoo.
"Blake rode a sensational race," Waterhouse said.
"I told him yesterday to pull his socks up or he'd be off the team.
"You saw him use his brain today. He is a quick learner and it's about the finer points."
Among the finer points from the trainer was the decision to put blinkers back on Rock Kingdom who started at $10.
George Main Stakes winner Road To Rock, who finished a length third, shaded Rangirangdoo for favouritism with the pair at $4.60 and $4.80 respectively.
"I put the shades back on this horse after the George Main just to switch him on again," Waterhouse said.
Shinn was even more animated than after his 2008 Melbourne Cup win on Viewed.
"It's a surreal feeling to win a big mile at Randwick," he said.
"Everyone knows Gai had a talk to me yesterday and you can always improve on what you are doing.
"I've been happy with how I've been going but sometimes you need a rev-up.
"I'm just really thrilled to win the Epsom."
Most experts believe it takes a 2000-metre horse to win over the Randwick mile, something Waterhouse subscribes to and something made more necessary by the deteriorating track.
The Epsom, which was race eight on the program, was run on a surface rated a heavy (9) after the day started at a dead (5).
"You have to have a 2000-metre horse to win a race like this," Waterhouse said.
"As a three-year-old he ran in all the good races but was just a bit short of the best but now he has matured.
"We'll take him to Melbourne now for a race like the Mackinnon.
"I haven't set his program in stone just yet, I wanted to get today out of the way first."
Rock Kingdom gave his sire Rock Of Gibraltar his first Australian Group One, something Waterhouse also savoured.
"This is Rock Of Gibraltar's first Group One out here and who else should win it," she said.
Waterhouse took out two of the four Group One races on the program with More Joyous winning the Flight Stakes for three-year-old fillies also over her specialty, the Randwick "mile".