New Juvenile Stakes-Winner for Written Tycoon

Tara Madgwick - Saturday December 9

Te Akau Racing was on top of the two-year-old podium at Trentham on Saturday, with their untapped filly Captured By Love running out a dominant victor in the Gr.2 Mode Technology Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m).

Captured By Love dominates her juvenile rivals at Trentham claiming the Gr.2 Mode Technology Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m). Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North)

This year’s edition of the juvenile feature drew a strong 11-horse field, with four individual race winners and several with competitive form behind the likes of current Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) Fixed Odds favourite Velocious ($3).

A daughter of prominent sire Written Tycoon, Captured By Love put away a small field with ease on debut at Tauherenikau last month, which saw the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained runner close a $3.80 second-favourite behind Red Sea ($2.50) for the $175,000 feature.

Enjoying the services of leading rider Opie Bosson, Captured By Love bounced from barrier three and descended strongly down the Trentham chute to take up the pace making role alongside Hard Attack. As the challengers began to loom at the 400m, Bosson had barely moved on the filly and she drew away comfortably to score by a dominant three length margin from the Tony Pike-prepared Poetic Champion.

Captured By Love was nominated by Walker as the pick of the Te Akau trio for the race and so it proved as stablemate Dream Of The Moon closed nicely for third, while debutant Donna Chiara did well for seventh.

“She’s a beautiful filly, Opie was pretty bullish about her and sometimes the hardest thing Opie looks at is whether they’re quiet enough for him to ride,” Mark Walker said.

“She’s got size and strength which will count for a lot later on. She’s got a good future.”

Captured by Love was a $525,000 MM purchase from Milburn Creek.

Captured By Love was a A$525,000 purchase by David Ellis CNZM at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and was bred by Makybe and presented for sale by Milburn Creek. She is he first foal of Moldova, a lightly raced metro winner by Snizel from the family of Group winners Savvy Nature, Addictive Nature and further back there is Group I winner Hasahalo. 

Milburn Creek will offer the yearling half-brother by Too Darn Hot (GB) to Captured by Love as Lot 973 at Magic Millions 2024.

Captured by Love is the 59th stakes-winner for Yulong based champion sire Written Tycoon.

The Wakefield was a particularly special victory for the Te Akau Racing principal on his 70th birthday.

Happy birthday to our team leader David Ellis, that’ll be a special win for him today and he bought her at Magic Millions,” Walker said.

Advertisement

The filly is ineligible for the upcoming Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) event, however not for the Australian equivalent (Magic Millions 2YO Classic, 1200m) in mid-January. Although the A$3 million carrot on the Coast is tempting, Walker will consider the welfare and longevity of the talented filly before taking the plunge across the Tasman so early in her career.

“I think longer term, she’s got a really bright future so whether that’s the right thing to do I’m not sure,” he said.

“We don’t like making decisions on raceday, it’s quite a trip down here so we’ll get her home for a few quiet days and by the middle of next week we should have an idea.”

Walker commended Bosson’s efforts to get down to Captured By Love’s 55kg carded weight as the champion jockey typically ranges around the 56-57kg mark.

“He worked pretty hard at it during the week, full credit to him.”

Bosson has paired with many of Te Akau’s brightest juvenile stars over the past decade and was complimentary of their latest black-type winning charge.

“She was just always cruising underneath me. She had a bit of a look around, she spotted just about everything on the course but she’s got that big long stretch about her, a big strong filly too,” he said.

“She’s just a natural, she’d probably be better chasing them, but we drew in close and just cruised up to the leaders. She was just too good.

“It’s hard to tell just yet (how good she is) but she’s doing everything the right way, she was pretty much untapped in that race so there’s plenty more gears left.”

Bosson has been well-travelled this spring with several trips across to Australia to partner Te Akau’s star mares Imperatriz and Skew Wiff, and hinted another could be on the cards in the New Year.

“There’s another horse in mind that I’m trying to get them to take (to Magic Millions), we do love a trip away so we’ll see how we go,” he said. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
Change of Barrier Luck for Written By's Tale of the Gypsy
Lady Luck has finally smiled on talented filly Tale Of The Gypsy, who has been plagued by wide barriers throughout her short career to date.
Spring Juvenile Contest at Otaki on Friday
Otaki trainer Andrew Campbell is excited about the prospects of his promising juvenile Singletary, and he is looking forward to kicking off his career in the Vets On Riverbank Two-Year-Old (800m) at his home track on Friday.
Stakes Potential for Talented Wootton Bassett Colt
The John O’Shea and Tom Charton stable produced Wootton Bassett (GB) colt Napoleonic to break his maiden at Wyong by five lengths at the start of the month and he made it back to back wins when scoring a stylish victory at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
Another G1 Goal for Captured by Love
Star filly Captured By Love continued her preparation towards another Group One goal with an impressive exhibition gallop at Te Aroha on Saturday.
Written Tycoon Filly Wins G1 NZ 1000 Guineas
The emerging rivalry between exciting fillies Alabama Lass and Captured By Love swung back in Captured By Love’s favour with an outstanding performance in Saturday’s Gr.1 Barneswood Farm 52nd New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton.
Angel Capital to Run for James Harron in Everest
James Harron Bloodstock is excited to announce a partnership with global thoroughbred powerhouse Yulong for The Everest 2025, with rising star Angel Capital today confirmed as the runner in the James Harron Bloodstock slot.
Sires With Winners - Wednesday September 24
Here is the full list of 47 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Unbeaten Written Tycoon Filly Wins G2 Matamata Breeders
All roads now lead to the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) for Captured By Love, after the talented juvenile maintained her unbeaten status in the Gr.2 J Swap Contractors LTD Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m).
Obucci Breaks Through For Hanseatic At Sandown
With a last start second behind Frankel filly Chateau Eze who went on to record a Listed second at her next start in the Jim Maloney Stakes, the Phillip Stokes trained Hanseatic filly Obucci was sent out at double figure odds at Sandown on Wednesday, breaking her maiden by three parts of a length.
Golden Rose Sires Where Are They Now?
Since the $1million Golden Rose was elevated to Group I status in 2009 it has been won in every single year bar one by a colt with the lone gelding to succeed being Manawanui in 2011 and winning this race is a passport to a commercial stud career, so we thought we’d take a look at the fortunes of the past winners who have gone to stud in Australia.