A Karaka pinhook winner sourced from the Widden Stud draft at the 2023 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale, Written By filly Bona Sforza made an auspicious stakes-winning debut in New Zealand on Saturday.
Bona Sforza winning the Listed Riccarton Park Function Centre Welcome Stakes (1000m) on Saturday. Photo: Ajay Berry (Race Images South)
Samantha Finnegan picked up her first winner as a trainer when flying filly Bona Sforza swept home on debut to take out the Listed Riccarton Park Function Centre Welcome Stakes (1000m).
Finnegan moved back to New Zealand last year with husband Francis and their young family and have based themselves in Palmerston North where Samantha prepares their small team of just two runners.
Bona Sforza was belatedly having her first start after missing a run at Tauherenikau when the meeting was abandoned before winning an 850m trial at Foxton last month in impressive fashion.
The daughter of Written By was undaunted by the reputations and raceday form of her rivals as she began nicely for Ace Lawson-Carroll and settled in fifth behind a hot speed set up by race favourite Zelia.
Zelia shook off the majority of her pursuers when she dashed two lengths clear with 300m to run however Lawson-Carroll had the Finnegan runner winding up nicely and she swept past the pacemaker with a determined bid at the 100m, running away to win by two and a half lengths from Zelia with Alottago making up many lengths to claim third.
Francis Finnegan was on hand at Riccarton and was delighted by the performance by both the filly and his wife.
“It’s a pity Samatha isn’t here but we came down expecting it to be off the back of a win but the races got called off when she was saddled up and ready to go on the track,” Finnegan said.
“She had won a trial and a jumpout since and Sam has always been a pretty good judge and she has had a great opinion of her.
“It’s hard to win any race on debut let alone a stakes race.
“I’d like to say a big thanks to the owners as they have let us go and buy a nice filly and hopefully she can progress from here.”
Finnegan also hinted that the filly could be seen back at Riccarton in November with a possible Gr.1 New Zealand One Thousand Guineas (1600m) tilt in mind.
“The view was that even if she could only place here on debut we just wanted to get her here before November,” he said.
“She has had a look around and hopefully we can get back here.”
Lawson-Carroll was also taken by the performance and had a cheeky response to the connections of the filly after the race.
“She is a really nice filly and Mr Finnegan gave me a lot of confidence before the race and you saw why,” he said.
“She got taken back a little bit at the start when she was between horses but once the runs appeared (in the home straight) she burst through and hit the line well.
“They did say to me they were looking at the 1000 Guineas so I said you’d better keep me on then.”
Bona Sforza was a $150,000 K1 purchase as a yearling.
Purchased for $150,000 by Samatha Finnegan from the Highline Thoroughbreds Book 1 draft at Karaka in 2024, Bona Sforza was purchased originally from the Widden draft at the MM National Weanling Sale for $65,000 by Highline Thoroughbreds/Catheryne Bruggeman/Paul Moroney Bloodstock.
She is the best of three winners from three foals to race from stakes placed Snitzel mare Thwayya. Her yearling filly by Supido sold for $20,000 to Paul Butterworth at the Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale this year and she was covered last spring by Jacquinot.
Bona Sforza is the sixth stakes-winner for Widden Stud’s Written By and is bred on what has become a very successful nick for him with daughters of Snitzel. The nick has produced eight winners from nine starters with Bona Sforza the third stakes-winner joining The Playwright and The Novelist.
