El Vencedor heads to Ellerslie for Herbie Dyke warm-up

[Wandering Eyes]

With his eighth Group One assignment just around the corner, El Vencedor will head to Ellerslie on Saturday for a final tune-up in the Listed Fulton Family Stakes (1500m).

El Vencedor has competed at Group One level in seven of his last nine starts, starting with a second in the Thorndon Mile (1600m) in January of last year. He went on to run fourth in the Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m), then ran his rivals into the ground to score a superb front-running upset win in the Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) in March.

The son of Shocking was unplaced in his first three starts at the elite level this season, in the Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m), Livamol Classic (2040m) and TAB Mufhasa Classic (1600m), but turned that form around with an outstanding last-start third behind Snazzytavi and La Crique in the Zabeel Classic (2000m) on Boxing Day.

“He ran a huge race in the Zabeel and it took a couple of top-class mares to beat him that day,” trainer Stephen Marsh said.

El Vencedor’s next target is the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa on February 8. Marsh kept him up to the mark with a six-length trial win at Matamata on January 14, and the six-year-old gelding will cap his preparation in Saturday’s $100,000 feature at Ellerslie. His three previous starts at the Auckland track have produced wins in the Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes and Gr.3 Balmerino Stakes (2000m), along with that last-start Zabeel Classic placing.

“We’ve been very happy with the horse since Boxing Day,” Marsh said. “He was great in that trial. We’re mainly treating this race as a pipe-opener for the Herbie Dyke. But even though it’s a step down in distance and he’s got a big weight (61kg), he’s in such good order and goes so well at Ellerslie that I wouldn’t be surprised if he was very competitive.”

El Vencedor will be joined in the Fulton Family Stakes field by promising stablemate Merchant Queen, who recorded the fourth win of her 10-race career with a dominant last-start victory over 1300m at Pukekohe.

“We also entered Doddle, but she drew 19 and won’t run,” Marsh said. “Merchant Queen is a promising mare that we’ve got a fair bit of time for. We’re stretching her out over a bit more ground here, which I think she’ll cope with. She’ll jump, put herself on the speed and I don’t think she’s without a chance of picking up some black type.”

Marsh’s Ellerslie contingent is rounded out by last-start winner Lovaci in the TAB (1600m) and recent placegetters Miss Rockette in the Barfoot & Thompson (1200m) and Andiamo in the Auckland Co-Op Taxis (1600m).

“Lovaci was very good in that win over 1400m last time,” Marsh said. “She’s another one that’s stepping up in trip on Saturday, and she has to do it from a bit of a sticky gate (eight). But she has early speed and can hopefully get herself out of trouble. She can be right in that race if she gets a suitable run.

“Miss Rockette’s racing well. That last-start second at Ellerslie was the first time she’s shown that she can be competitive right-handed as well as left-handed, so I was pleased to see that. That was over 1300m and we’re going down to 1200m for this, when I probably would have preferred to stay at 1300m or go up to 1400m. But she’s drawn the inside and certainly has the ability to figure in the finish.

“Andiamo ran a lovely race for second on debut and has only taken more confidence and improvement out of that. She’s drawn a little awkwardly in gate 10, but the mile suits and she’s really gone the right way since that first-up win.”

Marsh also has Skyman entered for the Gr.3 Denis Wheeler Earthmoving Taranaki Cup (1800m) at New Plymouth on Saturday. Despite winning nine races and having the equal highest rating in the field with 98, the Mukhadram gelding will carry only 55kg.

“Set weights and penalties conditions really suit him,” Marsh said. “He’s drawn the outside gate, which isn’t ideal, but as long as he’s able to jump cleanly and take up a reasonable position, he can be very competitive in this sort of grade.”

Saturday’s runners will attempt to cap a rewarding week for Marsh, who won the Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m) at Ellerslie last weekend with Ardalio and went on to secure a number of well-related yearlings at Karaka. His 11 purchases were headed by a $450,000 colt by Dundeel that came from the draft of the sale’s leading vendor Curraghmore.

“I’m very happy with what we’ve come away with,” Marsh said. “We bought 10 from Book 1 and one from Book 2. They’re a lovely group of horses, and we have plenty of shares available for anyone who might be interested in getting involved.”

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