by John Pawlak, the U.S. Trotting Association

Columbus, OH —- Our Horse Cents Stables, Stable 45 and Jerry Silva’s Rocklamation has raced in the shadows of some pretty good fillies and mares since she was purchased for $50,000 as a yearling, but this year the daughter of Rocknroll Hanover-Art Sale seems to have emerged from the shadows.

Mike Lizzi photo

Rocklamation was a 1:51.3 winner in the Blue Chip Matchmaker final.

Her victory in this past Saturday’s $297,000 Blue Chip Matchmaker Series Final was easily the richest and most important of her career and helped earn the 4-year-old mare April’s Horse of the Month Award from the U.S. Trotting Association.

The Ron Burke-trained mare won only once in 12 tries at age two, scored five wins in 20 starts this past year, but has already won five of nine on the current calendar. She began the month with a just-miss second in the third round of the Blue Chip Matchmaker, but she then reeled-off victories in rounds four and five before capping April with a 1:51.3, perfect trip victory in the series final.

“I think out of all my 4-year-olds she will be the one that breaks out,” Burke said after she won in the first round of the Overbid Series in March. “We got her late in the summer or the beginning of last fall (2011). It was one start before she raced in the Jugette and she is one of those horses that fits our program. Those are the ones that usually do really well for us.

“She’s about as easygoing of a horse as you could be around,” Burke said. “She’s a nice horse and is real good around the barn. She does drift out a little bit, but I think that’s one of the things during her career that will make her a good half-mile horse.”

Now that she’s apparently found a “home” on the half-mile tracks — and has found out how to win — it seems as if Rocklamation will be writing many more headlines in the weeks and months to come.

— Kim French also contributed to this report