Wewillrock is at full stretch, under the urgings from jockey Jonathan Riddell, as he races clear of his rivals to win a $30,000 Rating 75 race over 1200m at Hastings last Saturday. He is expected to have his next start on Sydney's Rosehill track on May 20. Photo / Supplied
Hastings-trained Wewillrock’s impressive win in a Rating 75 race over 1200m on his home track last Saturday has confirmed a trip across the Tasman for a crack at the Australian riches.
Trainer Guy Lowry confirmed this week the four-year-old son of El Roca is one of two horses he has booked on a flight from Auckland to Sydney on May 14 for races at Rosehill the following Saturday.
The other stable member on the flight will be the five-year-old Redwood mare Herself, who was a fast-finishing fifth in a rating 75 race over 2200m at last Saturday’s Hawke’s Bay meeting.
Lowry said both horses are expected to line up at Rosehill on May 20, where Wewillrock will be entered for a Benchmark Rating 78 race over 1200m and Herself will contest a Benchmark Rating 78 race over 2400m.
“The rating system has changed over in Australia and our horses don’t get rated like they used to, which does put them at a slight disadvantage, but the races they will be running in are both worth A$150,000 ($160,000) so it is worth having a crack,” Lowry said.
“Wewillrock was pretty impressive last Saturday and Herself has needed her two runs this time in and both horses are still on the way up.”
The lightly raced Wewillrock is certainly an exciting sprinter, with his 10 starts now resulting in four wins and four thirds.
His win last Saturday came after a fourth and a third in his first two starts this campaign and showed he is improving with each run.
Jockey Jonathan Riddell bounced the big chestnut out well from the barrier and had him trailing the pacemaking Whiskey Neat until the home turn.
Wewillrock quickly took over once in the home straight and dashed clear to win by 1½ lengths, easing down.
The four-year-old is owned by Waikato Stud’s Mark Chittick in partnership with Hawke’s Bay brothers Paul and Mark Apatu.
He is out of the Strategic mare Princess Michella, who recorded two wins and five minor placings from 11 starts.
“He is a horse that has always shown plenty but has just needed time,” Lowry added.
Herself has also been a slow maturer, with last Saturday’s race being just her 13th start. She has recorded two wins, two seconds and a third, with one of those second placings being in a 2500m race at the New Zealand Cup meeting at Riccarton in November.
She was bred by Hawke’s Bay couple Tim and Briar Macphee and they race her in partnership with Hastings man Murray Green.
The Cossack, the reigning New Zealand champion jumper for the past two seasons, resumes over fences at today’s Waikato meeting at Te Rapa.
The nine-year-old, prepared by the Hastings partnership of Paul Nelson and Corrina McDougal, is one of only five horses entered for the $30,000 Ken and Roger Browne Memorial Steeplechase (3900m) and is sure to start a hot favourite after an eye-catching run on the flat at Rotorua on Friday of last week.
The Cossack was a fast-finishing fourth in a 1950m highweight race at Rotorua in what was his first start since he finished second in the Australian Grand National Steeplechase (4500m) at Ballarat in August.
Jockey Shaun Phelan settled the son of Mastercraftsman at the tail of the field at Rotorua and they were still last on the home turn. But then The Cossack started to unwind a powerful finish down the outside of the track and got to within three lengths of the winner at the line.
The Cossack is the winner of 13 races from 49 starts, with nine of those victories coming in hurdle events, and a win and a second from his only two starts over the bigger steeplechase fences.
At the beginning of her career, a Sunday race day at Rockhampton would have seemed an unlikely setting for New Zealand jockey Samantha Collett to bring up her 1000th win, but last Sunday’s meeting will be one the 33-year-old will remember forever.
In reaching the 1000-win milestone Collett joins her parents, Trudy Thornton and Jim Collett, in reaching that mark.
“I’m trying not to get a bit emotional which seems pathetic,” Collett said after winning aboard the Matt Kropp-trained Deb’s Ellie in the Knight Frank Agribusiness Handicap (1100m).
“It’s not more so for me but it is for mum and dad.
“To join them is special for me as well as, obviously, the achievement for myself.
“Dad, he’s always so proud and doesn’t miss a race, and mum is the same.”
New Zealand-born Collett rode her first winner at Ruakaka in 2007.
Sixteen years later, and with three Gr.1 wins among the thousand, she has now domiciled herself in Queensland and enjoying great success.
Top New Zealand jockey Opie Bosson will head into unfamiliar territory when he heads back across the Tasman to partner Suizuro in next Saturday’s Gr.1 A$500,000 South Australian Derby (2500m) in Adelaide.
The champion jockey has enjoyed top-flight Australian successes in Melbourne and Sydney, but has never been to Adelaide before.
Suizuro, who is prepared by expatriate New Zealand trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, is the joint second favourite for the Morphettville classic after his game run for third in last Saturday’s Gr.2 Chairman’s Stakes (2000m) on the same track.
“Trent is always trying to get me over to Australia to ride some for him and he rang me on Saturday after the races and asked me to go over for the Derby,” Bosson said.
“I might have one other ride for him on the day, but I’m not sure what it is.”
A son of Real Impact, Suizuro has won three of his 10 starts, and two runs back he finished off strongly from well back in the field to run third in the Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m).
He was ridden a lot closer to the pace in last Saturday’s race. He came out of the trail to hit the front before the turn and stayed on gamely to be beaten less than a length.
Suizuro was partnered in that rave by Craig Newitt, who is expected to be aboard stablemate Gottabesavvy in the Derby after guiding the Waikato Stud-bred-and-sold son of Savabeel to consecutive wins at Pakenham and Ballarat last month.
Bosson returned from suspension to team up with Te Akau trainer Mark Walker for a winning treble at last Saturday’s Waikato meeting at Te Rapa, including success in the Gr.2 Travis Stakes (2000m) with Aromatic.
Bosson had earlier won the Hutton Contracting Handicap (1300m) on Wairau Cove and rounded off the day with victory on She’s Outrageous in the Mainline Cambridge Handicap (1600m).
Graeme and Debbie Rogerson hope it is a case of Lightning striking twice after Solidify put his rivals to the sword when winning the Decise Electrical and Control Two-year-old (1200m) at Te Rapa last Saturday.
The son of Redwood invoked comparisons with his year older stablemate Sharp ‘N’ Smart, who in addition to being by the same sire showed raw ability at two.
Ridden by Ryan Elliot, Solidify was having his second start and came from beyond midfield to score by nearly two lengths despite showing greenness.
“He was unlucky at Tauranga at his first start (when third) and he is not a natural two-year-old,” Graeme Rogerson said.
“His work has been fantastic. When Ryan came in on Tuesday and Thursday and worked him, he said he thinks he’s a Sharp ‘N’ Smart and I said ‘that’ll do me’.
“He is a colt this horse, and I think he is well above average.”
Solidify will back up in today’s listed $65,000 Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre 2YO Stakes (1200m) at Te Rapa and, should he be successful again, he may follow a path tread by his triple Gr.1-winning stablemate.
“He will run in that and then I will decide whether I run him in the Futurity (listed, 1400m) at Pukekohe or take him to Queensland for the Phoenix (listed, 1500m) and the JJ Atkins (Gr.1, 1600m). That is what we did last year with Sharp ‘N’ Smart.
“I think you will see him as a classic horse. Redwoods shouldn’t do that as two-year-olds.
“He has just needed that bit of extra time. If he goes to Queensland Ryan will ride him, I’ve told him that, but he has to get some more prizemoney. Sharp ‘N’ Smart had won the Champagne Stakes (1400m) before he went.”
Rogerson purchased Solidify for $140,000 from the Westbury Stud draft at last year’s Ready To Run two-year-old sale, with stud proprietor Gerry Harvey and Rogerson remaining in the ownership group.