Consistent four-year-old Wewillrock opened his winning account in Australia with victory at Randwick and added to a rewarding Saturday for Westbury Stud and its in-form stallion roster.
Sold at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale by the Karaka farm, the four-year-old son of El Roca posted his fifth career victory and has yet to finish out of the top four in 13 appearances.
His success followed wins for Tarzino at Awapuni and Caulfield from his progressive three-year-olds Uraskyfullastars and Torranzino respectively while Redwood was represented by Our Red Morning, also an impressive winner on the Caulfield card, and Singapore winner Red Dragon.
The John O’Shea-prepared Wewillrock was quickly into stride under apprentice Tyler Schiller to sit on the pace and he rounded off strongly in the run home to claim the Benchmark 88 contest over 1200 metres.
“He’s a really nice horse and one thing about him is that he's really enjoyed Randwick,” O’Shea said.
“He's a big, tough fellow and some horses struggle with the transition but he hasn't, he's really enjoyed it.”
He is raced by Waikato Stud’s Mark Chittick with good friends, the Hawke’s Bay-based brothers Mark and Paul Apatu after he was secured for $35,000 at Karaka by Hastings trainer Guy Lowry.
He trained Wewillrock to win his first four races and Group 3 placings in last season’s Almanzor Trophy and Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes.
The gelding raced under Lowry’s name when runner-up three runs back before he transferred to O’Shea’s stable and finished third in the Listed Bob Charley Stakes in his debut for the Randwick conditioner.
Wewillrock is out of the Strategic mare Princess Michaela, whose dam Wazawatsyn was a three-time Listed winner, and she has an unraced El Roca juvenile filly named Tootie.