The ‘golden crop’ of champion sire Written Tycoon unearthed a new stakes-winner at Flemington on Saturday when progressive filly Cilcap made a winning first attempt at stakes class to take out the Listed VRC Desirable Stakes (1400m).
Trained by Grahame Begg, who enjoyed earlier success in the day in Sydney when his star mare Magic Time won the Group II ATC Expressway Stakes, Cilacap lived up to the expectation of punters, who sent her out as favourite.
Taking on a quality field that included Group I winning fillies Another Prophet and Captured by Love, Cilacap made a smooth transition from her last start win in a Benchmark 70 event at Caulfield on December 14.
Given a tick over trial between runs, she took a while to wind up for Craig Williams but was doing her best work on the line to score a long head win over Husk, who nearly gave her sire Calyx (GB) a stakes double as he also sired Sepals to win the Group III VRC CS Hayes Stakes on the same program.
Craig Williams was well pleased with the win.
“She’s a big girl with plenty of engine. She still has a lot to learn, but she’s got so much ability,” he said.
“The team has done a great job preparing her for today, and she’s only going to improve off this run.”
While Written Tycoon is a sire noted for his sprinter milers, the stable are looking to step Cilacap up in trip, which seems a reasonable goal given her dam Falkenberg finished third in a Group I BRC Queensland Oaks.
“She’s still a big, raw filly, but she’s progressing beautifully,” said stable representative Rowan Hughes.
“This was an important test for her today, and she passed with flying colours. We’ve been targeting an Australasian Oaks campaign, and she’ll go up to a mile next start to continue that progression.”
With three wins from four starts and prizemoney topping $212,000, Cilacap was a $300,000 Inglis Easter purchase from Corumbene Stud for Bruce Elkington Bloodstock and runs for Echo Beach Bloodstock, a well-known partnership between Brian Singer and the late Alan Green, who only passed way last month.
Bred by Corumbene Stud, Cilacap is the second foal of Group I placed More Than Ready (USA) mare Falkenberg, a full sister to Golden Slipper winning sire Sebring and a half-sister to Group II winner Pureness.
Falkenberg has been a tricky breeder and has not had a foal since Cilacap, although was covered last year by In The Congo, so connections will have their fingers crossed!
Cilacap is the 72nd stakes-winner for Written Tycoon and is his 11th from the current crop of three year-olds that were conceived at Arrowfield Stud at a fee of $77,000.
