The Playwright composes the script in Widden Stakes

The Playwright (Written By) earned her young sire an especially apt fifth stakes winner by hanging on for a tenacious victory in the race named after his stud farm, the Widden Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Ridden by Regan Bayliss, The Playwright enacted the standard Waterhouse-Bott position of setting the pace from gate three of nine, and kicked strongly at the 300 metres to lead by a length.
The speedster had already shown signs that the distance of the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) might be a little too far.
Having won on debut over 1100 metres at Rosehill, she led over 1200 metres before weakening late when third in Eagle Farm’s BJ McLachlan Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m), and largely repeated that performance when a three-length fourth in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m).
As meritorious as those two runs in large fields were, The Playwright gave a strong sign that 1100 metres was more to her liking on Saturday. With blinkers added, she had to show all her fight to claim the victory by 0.1 lengths as the challengers charged late in a market fanciers’ trifecta.
The $3.80 third–elect prevailed over Godolphin’s $3.30 favourite Tempted (Street Boss), with Chris Waller’s Snitzel Miss (Snitzel) the same distance further away in third at $3.60.
Reflecting that Saturday’s two juvenile events at Rosehill perhaps did not showcase the cream of this crop, The Playwright became a $34 chance in Slipper markets after the win – equal with Blitzburg (Snitzel), who one race earlier won the males’ Canonbury Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m).
The Playwright at least had bragging rights over Blitzburg, running her 1100 metres faster by 0.20 seconds, or around 1.25 lengths, setting 1:03.87 on a Good 4.
Still, co-trainer Adrian Bott said the filly might attempt to emulate stablemate Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon) in tackling a longer, major assignment in Caulfield’s Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
Lady Of Camelot won last year’s Widden before a fighting second in the Blue Diamond behind Haysugi (Royal Meeting). Lady Of Camelot then went one better in winning the Slipper, and has since fared well over the same trip in running fourth in The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m) at Randwick, and third in Flemington’s Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
Bott insisted The Playwright’s toughness would take her a long way.
“We kept her in the Blue Diamond acceptances. Lady Of Camelot won this race last year and went down for the Diamond,” Bott, who trains in partnership with Gai Waterhouse, said.
“She is seasoned to do it. She has got the right attitude to do it. Or we’ll just stick to a few fillies’ races here [in Sydney].”
Bott said the race panned out perfectly to plan.
“That was the design of race we wanted to see, to make it a nice test for them and have them chasing throughout, and she was able to be too tough,” he said.
“That’s her best asset, she is so tough. She has got some black type now for her residual, so if this happens to be the last run of the campaign, she has done a great job. But with the constitution she’s got, I do feel we can keep going.”
The Playwright is looking like a yearling sale steal, having been bought from the depths of Book 2 at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast for just $60,000 by her owners, Tricolours Racing & Syndications, from her breeders Newhaven Park. She’s now earned $734,500, including a Magic Millions Racing Women’s bonus.
She’s the fourth foal of 900-metre winner Sugarparma (Snitzel), who was also stakes-placed, with her third dam – the Listed-winning Rubitoff (Rubiton) a full–sister to dual Flemington Group 1 sprint winner Rubitano.
The Playwright’s half-sister by Newhaven’s $16,500 sire Xtravagant (Pentire) was bought for that same $60,000 figure by Angela Davies Racing at last month’s Gold Coast sale, again from Book 2.
Sugarparma now has a weanling colt by Xtravagant and was covered by Newhaven’s fellow $16,500 stallion Cool Aza Beel (Savabeel) last September.
Victory for The Playwright brought the second stakes win of the season for Widden’s $22,000 third-season sire Written By (Written Tycoon), and his fifth overall, among 62 winners from 118 runners.
The nine-year-old stallion’s other stakes winners include the Group 3-winning The Novelist, who also carries the Tricolours silks for Team Waterhouse-Bott.
Bayliss had high praise for the filly, saying: “She’s just one out of the box, this filly, and she feels small everywhere until you jump out of the barriers on her. She’s got so much heart and force.”
The Playwright brought Gai Waterhouse’s eighth Widden Stakes winner and her second in partnership with Bott.