Love Conquers All - New Winner

Memories of a confidence-denting defeat in last month’s Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m) were blown away on Saturday as Willydoit powered to a dominant victory in the Gr.1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m) at Ellerslie.

Raymond Connors’ green and red colours will forever be known for six victories in the Great Northern Steeplechase (6400m) at Ellerslie between 1998 and 2019, but the respected Manawatu horseman returned to Auckland on Saturday and took the spoils in another major test of stamina.

The $300,000 Group II VRC Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) always looked a race for the up and comers with talented I Am invincible colt Vinrock making it two wins in as many starts with a dominant two length win.

Gilgai Farm have been basking in the glory of selling a million dollar yearling at Inglis Premier last week and also featured at Randwick on Saturday having bred and sold All Too Hard mare Little Baia, who scored a valuable first stakes win in the Group III ATC Aspiration Quality (1600m).

A Cox Plate winning champion sire for Waikato Stud, Savabeel is not known for his short course older sprinters, with the exception of I Wish I Win, but he has a good one in Jedibeel.

Waikato Stud’s rising star stallion Super Seth has sired his first two Group One winners within the space of seven days, with Linebacker capturing Saturday’s A$1 million Gr.1 The Agency Randwick Guineas (1600m) a week after Feroce’s heroics in the Gr.1 Australian Guineas (1600m).

Eight weeks after celebrating what they thought was a career pinnacle in the Gr.1 Thorndon Mile (1600m) at Trentham, the connections of blue-blooded mare Provence were treated to something even more special in Saturday’s Gr.1 HKJC World Pool New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie.

Pin up boy El Vencedor signed off his latest local campaign with the final leg of a winning Group One treble when he downed gallant mare La Crique in a thrilling finish to the Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie.

Te Akau Racing, Blake Shinn and fantastic filly Damask Rose created a piece of New Zealand racing history when they took out the inaugural running of the richest race in the land, the newly minted $3.5 million Listed The NZB Kiwi (1500m) at Ellerslie.

Godolphin and Street Boss launched into Golden Slipper calculations winning both Group II lead ups at Randwick - the Reisling Stakes and Todman Stakes on Saturday, with both out of Exceed And Excel mares.