Something special
When a star remains unbeaten it might look like everything is easy but ask Chris Waller or Peter Moody what it’s like to keep a streak going. The pressure only increases and that is what Stephen Marsh has to look forward to with Well Written (Written Tycoon) after her effortless demolition of Saturday’s New Zealand 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) which drew an outstanding field. The only filly missing was Tajana (Darci Brahma) who was reserved for the New Zealand 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) in a nod to Well Written’s anticipated dominance
Well Written’s streak is hardly commonplace as she landed Ellerslie’s Soliloquy Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) at her second start by nearly seven lengths with Tajana and Loolapalooza (El Roca) in her wake. The Guineas win may not have seen an especially fast time but she won it on her ear, was eased late yet still had 2.5 lengths up her sleeve. She truly is something special.
She was reluctant to load, providing Marsh with some anxious moments but barrier staff managed to put her in riderless. Pre–race, the instructions from Marsh to Matt Cartwright were to ride the filly as if she was the best in the race. The plan was to always wait before unleashing from her handy fourth spot turning for home. Cartwright had decided to count to ten before emerging from the slipstream but later admitted that he only got to six yet the expected acceleration was such that she put the race away well before the 100 metres with an explosive burst.
Comparisons with Winx (Street Cry) and Black Caviar (Bel Espirit) are outrageous at this early juncture but Well Written certainly looks to have that rare and special star quality. Training and owning one so good opens up all sorts of possibilities but one given is that the filly, now part-owned by powerhouse Yulong Investments, will inevitably end up in Australia, an Australian Group 1 the ultimate goal.
Then again, at the site of her second win just happens to be the richest race in the country, the $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) and the timing might be ideal before she heads to Sydney for The Championships.
Last year, Savaglee (Savabeel) bypassed the NZB Kiwi as his connections were keen to nab an Australian Group 1 to enhance his stallion potential and he ran very well when second in the Australian Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m). The filly and her connections are not faced with the same issue and may prefer to offset her undoubtedly considerable purchase price before a Sydney trip. The problem the stable faces in the meantime is where to race.
Ellerslie will be the venue but there is nothing suitable at the Christmas/New Year carnival so they will likely have to wait until Karaka Millions night. She is eligible for the Karaka Millions 3YO Classic (Listed, 1600m) but 1600 metres fresh up might be a bridge too far. A race like the Westbury Classic (Gr 1, 1400m) or maybe even a sharp Railway Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) might be more likely unless the stable can find a tune–up race. In the meantime she will be kept in cotton wool.
Well Written first appeared for sale as a weanling at the 2023 Inglis Great Southern Sale, purchased for $32,500 by Foxhill Thoroughbreds whose principal is Benji King, son of Brighthill Farm’s Nick King. It was via Brighthill Farm that agent Dylan Johnson found the filly for Stephen Marsh when she was offered and sold at the NZB National Online Yearling Sale fetching $80,000. Hindsight is 20:20 but $80,000 does seem a bargain for anything by Written Tycoon (Iglesia).
The Guineas victory added $345,000 to her bank account which now stands at $462,875. She is the only foal of the twice Listed–placed winner Mozzie Monster (Sebring) whose dam Valentine Miss (Danetime) scored six wins, including the How Now Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) in Melbourne. An honest mare, Valentine Miss placed at Group 3 level a further four occasions and three times she recorded Group 1 fourths
Valentine Miss’s dam Torolosa (Housebuster) was bred in New Zealand and sold at the NZB 1999 NZB Premier Karaka Yearling sale. Her dam, Yuleda (One Pound Sterling) was a Listed winner in Perth. Yuleda’s granddam is the top class two-year-old stakes winner Jocasta (Pakistan II) whose half-sister Porsha (Alcimedes) also landed the New Zealand 1,000 Guineas way back in 1976
One from three
The New Zealand-bred Ceolwulf (Tavistock) defied his opponent Pericles (Street Boss) – who appeared to have the upper hand 100 metres from the line – to prevail by the narrowest of margins in the Champions Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Ceolwulf is certainly one for the big time as four of his seven wins have taken place at Group 1 level beginning with the an Epsom Handicap (1600m)-King Charles III Stakes (1600m) double in 2024 and this year a similar back-to-back Group 1 effort of his repeat in the King Charles III Stakes immediately prior to the Champions Mile.
The $10.9 million earner is from the last half crop by Tavistock (Montjeu) and was purchased for $170,000 out of Sam Beatson’s Riversley Park draft at the 2022 NZB Ready To Run Sale, thus a perfect advertisement for next week’s version of the same sale. He is the only winner from his dam Las Brisas (Shamardal), a half-sister to ten winners, including Goodwood Listed scorer Nantyglo (Mark Of Esteem).
Sadly, there are no more Tavistocks but the sire of New Zealand 1,000 Guineas winner Well Written, Written Tycoon, does have one lot on offer and Lot 371 could be one of the top priced lots as he ranks as a half-brother to three-time Group 3 winner My Whisper (Frankel).
Not one but two Group 1s
In 1977 Beltana Stud in Parnassus, North Canterbury, imported Geraniums Red, a three-year-old filly by Brigadier Gerard (Queens Hussar). The Rutherford family never raced the filly. They didn’t really need to as she had a nice pedigree, by a champion from the Irish Oaks (Gr 1, 1m 4f) winner Celina (Crepello).
Her future was as a broodmare and she produced her first foal, Red Gerard (Red Lord) in 1978, a minor winner. Her next foal struck gold as Affinity (Zamazaan) registered five wins, including the 1984 Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m). He also recorded a second placing in the 1984 Adelaide Cup (Gr 1, 3200m).
Two further minor winners followed before the Rutherfords sent Geraniums Red back to Zamazaan (Exbury), the result Red Chase who scored in Sydney and Melbourne and whose placings included a third in the South Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2400m).
Her last two foals, Perfumery (Zabeel) and Rose World (Grosvenor) were unable to add to the mare’s record but Rose World made up for that by foaling O’Reilly Rose (O’Reilly), a nine-race winner whose premier performance was taking out the White Robe Lodge Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m) plus three Listed wins.
Rose World’s daughter Volkrose (Volksraad) also visited O’Reilly (Last Tycoon) and the result was Newmarket Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m) victor Shamexpress, later to stand at Windsor Park Stud and make headlines as the sire of the world’s best sprinter, Ka Ying Rising.
Meanwhile, O’Reilly Rose’s daughter Rosegarden (Savabeel) has given the line a serious boost courtesy of Autumn Boy (The Autumn Sun), impressive winner of last month’s Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m). That was his third win in five starts and against a top field which indicates a bright future and, who knows, maybe a future as a stallion. His connections have been aware of Autumn Boy’s potential for some time and the Guineas provided proof.
It has been a while but the second to last foal of Geraniums Red, Perfumery, has finally joined the club and is responsible for last week’s VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) winner, Strictly Business (Grunt). Not directly, of course. A few generations have taken place since Perfumery was foaled in 1992.
On the track she raced twice but at stud produced five winners, the best being Moonee Valley winner Suspense (Regal Classic) who won seven times. Another winner was Wantonly (Al Maher) whose daughter Tivoli Lass (Uncle Mo) is the dam of Strictly Business. The O’Reilly factor is present in Strictly Business’s pedigree as Grunt, her sire, is a son of the former Waikato Stud multiple champion sire.
The Oaks was the filly’s fourth start and she broke her maiden only last month, at her second start. Prior to her stunning last-to-first Oaks win she was a solid second in the Wakeful Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m) behind heavy Oaks favourite Getta Good feeling (So You Think) who found the extra 500 metres of Thursday’s race too tough.
Strictly Business was withdrawn from the weanling section of the 2023 Inglis Great Southern Sale, the same sale at which Well Written was purchased. Tivoli Lass was sold for a meagre $600 at an online sale, also in 2023. There will be more as Strictly Business won too well for that to be her last win.
Milan Park-Waikato-Haunui combo
Putting together a super record is Force Of Nature (Savabeel), stakes winner number 153 for his sire. Force Of Nature just scraped home but he keeps winning and the Legacy Lodge Sprint (Listed, 1200m) was win six in just 11 starts. He enjoyed an economical run and never covered extra ground throughout. Fourth into the home straight, his challenge was along the fence, before he took a narrow lead at the 200 metres then held on for dear life at the post.
Raced by Tony Rider in his familiar Milan Park colours, the now five-year-old was bred by Rider and was offered at the 2022 NZB Ready To Run Sale but failed to reach his $150,000 reserve. Rider also bred Force Of Nature’s older sister, Listed winner Shezzacatch (Savabeel) as well as their dam Elusive Nature (O’Reilly).
Force Of Nature is yet another bred on Waikato Stud’s highly successful Savabeel-O’Reilly cross from a family established by Haunui Farm in 1950 when the Chitty family purchased Foxona (Foxbridge) from Trelawney Stud as a weanling. In nine generations Foxona is responsible for 51 individual stakes winners.