Group One Oakleigh Plate-winning jockey Damian Browne will have his first ride in his home land of New Zealand for 10 years aboard Filly of the Year contender Planet Rock at Hastings on Saturday.

Browne, who is now based in Queensland, celebrated his fourth Group One victory and his third in Australia aboard Woorim in the Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield last Saturday.

Browne has turned down several offers to ride at Eagle Farm on Saturday to partner Planet Rock for his former boss Peter Williams in the Group Three Lowland Stakes (2100m).

Williams and his wife Dawn now train in partnership in Auckland after deciding to leave Christchurch.

The pair ended their long and successful association with South Island racing with a victory by Planet Rock in the the Group One New Zealand Bloodstock 1000 Guineas at Riccarton in November.

“I haven’t had a ride in New Zealand for 10 years,” Brown said.

“I’m just hoping it will go the same way as it did when I had my first ride for 15 years in Melbourne when I won aboard Buffering and Woorim last year.”

Buffering won the Group Three McEwen Stakes while Woorim was successful on the same day in an Open Handicap at Moonee Valley on September 10.

“I don’t know much about the filly (Planet Rock) other than she can sew up the New Zealand Filly of the Year if she wins the Lowland,” Browne said.

“If she can win Filly of the Year there’s a chance she could be going to Coolmore.”

Planet Rock won the Group Two Eight Carat (1600m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day before finishing fourth at her past two starts in the Group Two Royal Stakes at Ellerslie in January and the Group Two Sir Tristram Stakes at Te Rapa on February 11.

Browne’s decision to ride in New Zealand has opened the door for another former New Zealander, Eddie Wilkinson, to partner Mystical Grey in the Listed Tattersall’s Members’ Cup (1600m) at Eagle Farm.

Browne rode the Craig Stott-trained Mystical Grey when the seven-year-old produced an eye-catching first-up second to Tomboy over 1350 metres at Doomben earlier this month.

Stott has no ambitious plans in mind with Mystical Grey who won the Listed Spear Chief Handicap (1500m) at Eagle Farm last June with Wilkinson aboard.

“I can’t fault him and he’s come back a lot bigger and stronger this time,” Stott said.

“He’s really acclimatised since he came to Queensland last year and it’s the best he’s ever been.”

Stott came from Victoria last year with plans of retiring and has only Mystical Grey in work and another three two-year-olds in pre-training.

“I’d love to win a Group race for the first time in my career with him and that would tick all the boxes as far as I’m concerned,” Stott said.