An eclectic group of friends entrusted Guy Lowry with the task of finding them a racehorse at Karaka 2020, and now the resulting purchase is coming into his own.
Wewillrock (NZ) (El Roca), trained by Lowry in partnership with Grant Cullen, scored his second win from four career starts with a smart performance in Saturday’s NZTR & WRC Thank Michael O’Toole (1200m) at Te Rapa.
Fourth in his only two-year-old start in February, the chestnut son of El Roca has made an impressive return at three with two wins and an unlucky third from three appearances.
“It was a really good performance on Saturday, in good time, by a horse that I think has a fair bit of ability,” Lowry said.
“He’s always looked well above average, right from day one. He’s been a very good galloper all the way through.
“He was a little bit immature as a two-year-old and came out of his first start with a bit of shin soreness. In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have run him there. But he had a good break after that and has come back much better as a three-year-old.
“He’s looking good and doing everything right. He’s a strong horse now, but I think he’ll only continue to strengthen and improve as he gets older. He’s a pretty exciting prospect.”
Bought by Lowry’s Game Lodge for $35,000 from the Book 2 draft of Westbury Stud at Karaka 2020, Wewillrock is now heading for the lucrative Karaka Million meeting at Ellerslie on January 22. However, Lowry has yet to decide whether he will target the Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m) or the Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy (1200m).
“We’re definitely working towards Karaka Million night at Ellerslie, but I don’t know yet whether we’ll have a crack at the mile or stick to 1200m,” Lowry said. “Either way, we’re looking forward to running him at that meeting.”
Wewillrock is raced by Waikato Stud’s Mark Chittick in partnership with Hawke’s Bay growers Mark and Paul Apatu – a pair of brothers who own the Apatu Farms operation.
The Apatus have raced horses with the Lowry-Cullen stable before, with Mark sharing in the ownership of multiple stakes winner and Group One-placed Xpression (NZ) (Showcasing), while Paul is among the syndicate that races Wewillrock’s highly talented and Listed-winning stablemate Shezzacatch (NZ) (Savabeel).
“With Mark Chittick and the Apatu brothers in the ownership, it’s a great group involved with this horse who are all really good mates,” Lowry said. “The Apatus have been good supporters of the stable in the past.
“They all decided one day that we should have a horse together, so they got me to go to Karaka and pick one out. This is the one that I came up with, and I just thought that he was a nice, athletic, strong horse.
“He’s already not that far off earning back what we paid for him, and we’re having fun along the way. Hopefully we’ve got a bit more to look forward to in the future as well.
“He was probably a little bit unlucky when he placed at Rotorua in his previous start. He had a wide draw that day and didn’t have all favours. He got a good track on Saturday and Opie (Bosson) gave him a great run from a better draw, and we saw what he’s capable of. It was great to see.”
It was a different story with Shezzacatch, who again struck bad luck on her way to a fast-finishing seventh in Saturday’s Print House (1400m).
The winner of the Listed El Roca-Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m) as a three-year-old last season, the daughter of Savabeel has featured in the stewards’ report in all of her four starts this season – finishing a luckless fourth over 1200m at Hastings on October 2, third over the same course and distance two weeks later, fifth in the Gr.3 Stewards’ Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton last month and seventh on Saturday.
“She’s not having much go her way in this preparation,” Lowry said. “Yesterday was no one’s fault. They went quick in the first 300m and she was going to be posted out wide, so he (jockey Matt Cameron) had no choice but to drop back.
“They slowed right up after that and then sprinted home. It just made it too hard for her to catch them, and she was held up in the straight as well.
“She’s copped some wide draws and bad luck in her last few starts. She just needs a turn.
“But the one good thing for me was that she was well in front a couple of hundred metres after the line. She’s a very talented mare, but I’d pigeonholed her as a sprinter. The way she ran through the line yesterday actually opens up a few more avenues with her.
“I’m starting to think she could extend up to a mile, and that would give us the option of some of those good fillies and mares’ races.
“She’s nominated for the Telegraph (Gr.1, 1200m) next month, but she wouldn’t get a start there. We need to win a race in the near future for two reasons – one, to give her a bit of confidence, and two, to get her points up to make the field for some of the better races.
“We might try going straight to a mile next, or there’s also the option of a Rating 74 over 1400m at Hastings on New Year’s Day.
“She’s always had the ability, and she’s becoming more tractable. Once she draws an alley and has a bit go her way in the running, I think we’ll be pretty much there.”
