El Vencedor has been an unstoppable force at Ellerslie, and while there are looming targets at northern headquarters for the gelding, a lucrative bonus and prize money on offer at Te Rapa this weekend have lured his connections south.
The Stephen Marsh-trained six-year-old will line-up in the $700,000 Group 1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) on Saturday where he will be chasing a share of the $500,000 on offer in the Rich Hill Champion Middle Distance Series.
The son of Shocking currently sits in second place (seven points) on the leaderboard behind Snazzytavi (10 points), and with the in-form mare ruled out of Saturday’s contest and glamour mare Orchestral also not taking her place in the quality line-up, it opens a golden opportunity for El Vencedor to take control of the series as it heads into the business end of the competition.
“It is a great series that is worth a lot of money, and he is going so well,” Marsh said. “The field has changed shape (with the withdrawal of Snazzytavi and Orchestral) in the last 48 hours, but it makes it a very open affair now.”
El Vencedor heads into the weekend in good form, dominating his rivals in the Listed Fulton Family Stakes (1500m) at Ellerslie last weekend, extending his record to three wins from four starts at the Auckland venue, including victories in the Group 1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes and Group 3 Balmerino Stakes (2000m), and placing in the Group 1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) on Boxing Day.
The series will return to Ellerslie for the last two legs, the Group 1 Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m) and Group 1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m), and a solid performance on Saturday will put El Vencedor in a good position to claim the lion’s share of the $500,000 bonus on offer.
“It is a $700,000 race on Saturday, it is a great bonus, and we are going to get a good track,” Marsh said. “Once his fitness is up and rolling, he holds his fitness well and races well.”
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