Willydoit had a shocker in the Avondale Guineas and confidence and the energy tanks looked to be running low.
But trainers Shaun and Emma Clotworthy resurrected their beautiful boy and he proved that the great ones are allowed a bad day.
Ex-pat jockey Mick Dee did the rest with a super-aggressive ride.
“I made my mind up early I was going forward and he did the rest,” said Dee.
As for Willy. He was magnificent. A deserved Derby.
Stephen Marsh: His magic last 18 months on the track continued with two Group 1s in an hour.
Provence overpowered Legarto (second-up syndrome?) in the NZ Breeders Stakes, just holding off the luckless Jaarffi for her second Group 1 win of Provence’s summer, something none of us were expecting at the start of 2025.
El Vencedor made his own bit of history winning his third Group 1 inside four weeks by defending his Bonecrusher NZ Stakes title, all chest and courage after La Crique almost stole it off him through a smart Michael McNab ride.
Willy Pinn didn’t panic and threw the big horse over the line.
Marsh has quite simply gone to a new level.
Masa and Trav: Nobody really liked Masa Hashizume getting the drag off Willydoit in the Derby, including his trainers, but Willy won so you can’t argue.
Hashizume didn’t.
He went about his business winning the Auckland Cup on Trav, who belied his odds by looping the field and building up too much momentum for heavily-backed favourite Tajanis.
Trav has been staggering in the Wellington Cup when he missed the kick and finished fourth but hadn’t raced since so trainer Raymond Connors has had a blinder.
But it was Hashizume who the jockey’s room and stabling block were nodding in approval for after the Cup.
Sam Spratt: It was only a few years ago the popular jockey was thinking of retiring after injury but her last 14 months have been an avalanche of black type.
She got the best out of Provence in the Breeders and earlier in the meeting snuck easy mid-race sectionals with Alabama Lass in the King’s Plate.
It helps that Alabama Lass might be the fastest horse in the country and was so dazzling trainers Ken and Bev Kelso just have to take her to Australia to see how good she really is.
Spratt has been part of her education and punters should be thrilled she never retired.
Island Life: It probably wasn’t the strongest Sunline Vase but Island Life sat outside the leaders and smashed them.
She could now go to the Oaks but it was appropriate to see Sir Peter Vela own a winner on our richest ever raceday, especially as his company New Zealand Bloodstock was the main-race sponsor.
To top it off Sir Peter was named a life member of Auckland Thoroughbred Racing during the NZB Kiwi presentation.
Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.
