Wewillrock (NZ) (El Roca) will be given an opportunity to add to his stakes record when the four-year-old steps out at Randwick on Saturday.
The talented son of El Roca will make his second Australian appearance in the Listed Bob Charley Stakes (1100m) and his first start from John O’Shea’s stable on his now adopted home course.
Wewillrock and stablemate Herself (NZ) (Redwood) were sent to Sydney by Hastings conditioner Guy Lowry and the former finished runner-up at Rosehill to open his campaign.
“I’ve put them with John to save going backwards and forwards, a bit like Kevin (Myers) does with Patrick Payne, but they’ll run in my colours,” Lowry said.
“They are really happy with Wewillrock, he’s flying and has settled in very well.”
He won four of his 10 starts for Lowry and also showed his quality with third placings in last season’s Gr.3 Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) behind Bonny Lass (NZ) (Super Easy) and in the Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m) won by Sword Of State.
Wewillrock is raced by Waikato Stud’s Mark Chittick with good friends, Hawke’s Bay-based brothers Mark and Paul Atapu, and was purchased out Westbury Stud’s draft at Karaka by Lowry on their behalf for $35,000.
The gelding produced a dominant performance to win on his home track in April ahead of the Australian venture and was then second at Rosehill where he made all the running under 60.5kg.
“He has continued to improve through the preparation and I think he will give a really good account of himself again,” Lowry said.
“It would be nice if he can take a sit this time, that’s the key to him. There have been a few showers there and a slow track will suit him better than a good one.”
Redwood mare Herself suffered an interrupted passage when she finished sixth over a middle distance at Rosehill in her Australian debut.
“She’s going to run on the Kensington track in a Benchmark 78 over 2400m on Wednesday week and is going well,” Lowry said.
A crack at the Gr.2 Brisbane Cup had been on the radar for the five-year-old, but that has now been ruled out.
“If she had won at Rosehill, and she should have but she had no luck at all, then maybe we would have looked at it,” Lowry said.
“There are some nice pickings in Sydney for her though at this time of the year.”
Herself has won two of her 14 starts and showed her staying ability during the New Zealand Cup carnival at Riccarton in the spring.
She ran fifth in the Listed Metropolitan Trophy (2500m) and was a close second over the same trip nine days later.
Meanwhile, Lowry’s Hastings stable is in good form and celebrated a winning double on its home track at the King’s Birthday fixture.
Per Incanto’s son Gohugo (NZ) broke his maiden over 1400m and a race later Darci Brahma mare Darwin (NZ) opened her account over 1600m.
“Both horses had been there or thereabouts and needed everything to go their way to get the job done and it did,” Lowry said.
