The pre-race drama surrounding the withdrawal of the favourite could not take the gloss off Dissident's win in the Hobartville Stakes.
New Zealand hope El Roca was taken out of yesterday's group two race at Rosehill by stewards after he was found to have been given a treatment on Fridaymorning against the rules.
Racing NSW investigator Nathan Hayward discovered a mark on El Roca's neck during an inspection at Randwick of horses entered for Saturday's racing.
Tests were taken from El Roca, who had been given an alkalinising agent by Cambridge trainer Trent Busuttin's vet, and although he was under the TCO2 threshold, stewards exercised their discretion to scratch the colt.
That left Woodbine as the $3.40 favourite but he could only muster enough in the wet to finish fourth with Dissident ($4) taking control after racing on the pace and holding off another New Zealander Atlante ($8.50) by a head.
Dissident was ridden by former New Zealand jockey Jim Cassidy.
Atlante is also headed to the group one Randwick Guineas (1600m) in two weeks with his New Zealand trainer Murray Baker impressed with his effort on an unsuitable surface.
