Ottley rated the 7yr-old, trained by her mother, Denise, to perfection by setting a pace that the backmarkers found too difficult to overcome.
''I thought the only shot we were going to have to beat those nice ones off handicaps was to make them work and that is this horse's go, too,'' Samantha Ottley said.
''He has got a bit of speed, but today I thought we might as well have a go if he steps.''
After making a quick getaway, Ottley had the chance to put her pre-race plans in place and even before entering the straight she got the feeling her tactics were going to pay off.
''I had a look around at the 400m and I saw there were a few gaps appearing and I just thought 'keep going, boy' and I put the acid on again and he didn't let me down.''
Ottley's steadily increasing race tempo made it especially hard for the favourite, Eamon Maguire, to work into the race off his 30m back mark.
He did so three wide before his run ended on the home turn, while second-favourite The Manipulator, who made an early mistake, was gone before him.
Third-favourite Bite The Bullet emerged out of the one-one to briefly look a winning chance but the task of reeling in the pacemaking Rocki Warrior was too much for him, too.
Trainer Denise Ottley has the Timaru Summer Cup early next month in mind for her big-striding son of Washington VC, but that plan may have to be reassessed after yesterday's win.
The Geraldine Cup at Orari later in November was a likely target for Rocki Warrior, she said.
Ottley was based in the Orari area until eight weeks ago when she moved to train from daughter Samantha and her fiancee, driver Stevie Golding's, property at West Melton.
Rocki Warrior's $19.90 win price was bettered in the next race on the Tuapeka programme yesterday by 26-to-one winner Westar Sam.
Driver Craig Thornley extricated the 5yr-old from three back on the markers to make a sustained run wide on the track to win for Waimate trainers Craig and Josh Kennett.
Thornley also guided Such Fun to win yesterday's maiden trot in her second race start.
