El Roca’s multiple stakes-placed son Wewillrock made a compelling argument at Wanganui on Saturday for another trip across the Tasman.
The Westbury Stud graduate produced a stirring front-running performance under 60kg to thump his Rating 75 opposition over 1200 metres.
“The owners love supporting New Zealand racing, but there are riches in Australia,” said Leah Zydenbos, who trains Wewillrock with Guy Lowry.
“There are some races coming up for him in Sydney so that’s where he may go.”
Wewillrock has now won six of his 18 starts, including a Randwick success last winter and he also has Group 3 placings to his credit in the Almanzor Trophy and Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes and at Listed level in the June Stakes and City of Napier Sprint.
The five-year-old was partnered at Wanganui by Jonathan Riddell and he allowed him to stride forward and they surged clear in the straight to beat El Roca’s daughter Rockababy, who was in receipt of 6kg, by three lengths.
“He’s a fair animal and one of my favourites, he’s a very competitive horse,” Riddell said.
Wewillrock is raced by Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick with good friends, the Hawke’s Bay-based brothers Mark and Paul Apatu, and was purchased out of Westbury’s draft at Karaka in 2020 by Lowry for $35,000.
He is the son of the Strategic mare Princess Michella, who won on two occasions, and she is the daughter of the dual listed winner Wazawatsyn.
Extortion completed a Westbury double at Wanganui when the New Zealand-bred son of Casino Prince was a tenacious winner of the Rating 75 event over 1600 metres.
Trained by Cody Cole, he lobbed along in the second before hitting the front at the top of the straight and stayed on strongly under the urgings of Kozzi Asano for his fourth career victory.
He is the first foal of the Lope De Vega mare Always In Trouble, who has a yearling Redwood filly and produced a daughter of Tarzino last season and is now in foal to Reliable Man.
Always In Trouble boasts a strong North American pedigree and her second dam is a three-quarter sister to the multiple Group 1 winner and Horse of the Year Cigar.