Deserved Group One for Booker

Tara Madgwick - Saturday February 23
The Group I MRC Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield on Saturday featured a big field of 18 runners with victory going to talented Written Tycoon mare Booker, a $230,000 Inglis Premier purchase from the Mill Park draft for Barry Griffiths.



Winner of the Group II MRC Guineas Prelude last season and fourth in the Oakleigh Plate last year, four year-old Booker produced the best run of her career when surging home out wide to win the 1100 metre sprint by three-quarters of a length over Lonhro colt Encryption.

Booker - images Grant CourtneyPrepared by Matt Ellerton and Simon Zahra, Booker drew wide in gate 14, but was given a great ride by Dean Yendall to produce the best performance of her career.

Matt Ellerton revealed a throat problem had shortened Booker's spring campaign, so he had set the mare for this race first-up.

"We had a chequered spring with her - she had a minor throat problem early in the spring but we've been really plain sailing this prep and she came into this race really well," Ellerton said.

Ellerton will consider a start in the Group I VRC Newmarket Handicap, but is spoiled for choice with Booker, who has a myriad of options going forward.

"She will make her way to Sydney, maybe Brisbane and Adelaide, as there are good races for her everywhere," he said.

Ellerton had previously scored in the Oakleigh Plate with Miss Kournikova (2001) and River Dove (2003) and said Booker compared well physically at least with both those winners.

"She's bigger and stronger than both of them. Miss Kournikova was one of the more talented horses I've ever trained but she just wasn't sound. River Dove won it as a four-year-old and this one's done it as well," he said.

Booker runs for Barry and Midge Griffiths and partners and has the overall record of four wins and five placings from 15 starts with prizemoney in excess of $840,000.

The sixth Group I winner for Woodside Park's Written Tycoon, Booker is the first foal of Noondie, a three-quarter sister by Flying Spur to stakes-winner Tranquility from stakes-winner Creatrix.

Mill Park sold the full brother to Booker at Inglis Premier last year for $600,000 to Bruce Perry Bloodstock and will offer the current yearling from Noondie, a colt by Starspangledbanner at Inglis Premier next week as Lot 348.




Noondie has a weanling colt by Written Tycoon's Golden Slipper winning son Capitalist and is in foal again to Written Tycoon, who covered 160 mares last spring at Woodside Park at a fee of $110,000.




Advertisment
More Reading...
Juvenile Trial Watch – Randwick
Five heats for juveniles at Randwick on Thursday produced plenty of interesting winners including an expensive I Am Invincible colt carrying the China Horse Club Colours and a blue-blooded colt by Written Tycoon.
Magic Millions - The Book
The famous US sports journo, Red Smith, once proclaimed that : “writing is easy … I just sit down at my typewriter and open a vein”.
NZB Ready to Run Breeze Ups Complete for 2025
The final day of NZB’s 2025 Ready to Run Sale Breeze Ups saw a further 202 two-year-olds gallop down the home straight at Te Rapa Racecourse.
2025 G1 Cox Plate Field and Barrier Draw
A field of nine has been finalised for the 2025 Cox Plate with favourite Via Sistina drawing gate seven for Chris Waller and James McDonald, while one three-year-old has accepted to run in Nepotism.
Written Tycoon's Hightail Claims the Gosford Guineas
Patience was a virtue for Hugh Bowman on the Written Tycoon gelding Hightail who spent the first half of Friday’s Listed Gosford Guineas (1200m) dawdling near the rear of the field before being given a wake-up at the 300 metres to chase down his stalemate Battleground.
Henry Longfellow Pedigree Gets an Update
Group I winning Dubawi stallion Henry Longfellow (IRE) is covering his first Australian book of mares at Rosemont Stud this spring and overnight in Ireland his two year-old sister-in-blood landed her first Group race win.
Pier Headed to Melbourne
Following his pleasing third placing in last Saturday’s A$5 million Gr.1 King Charles III Stakes (1609m) at Randwick, trainers Darryn and Briar Weatherley have decided to head south with Pier to test his talent in Melbourne.
Inglis Premier Sale Topper Crosswinds Makes Winning Debut
The $1,100,000 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale topper Crosswinds made a winning start to his career when outclassing three opponents in the Pipe Pro Directional Drill Maiden (1100m) at Ballarat on Tuesday.
GI Sistema Goal for Written Tycoon Filly Captured By Love
Te Akau Racing’s unbeaten filly Captured By Love is set to face her sternest test to date when she heads to Ellerslie on Saturday to contest the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m).
Delacroix Brings Dubawi Outcross to Coolmore Roster
Blueblood 3YO Dubawi colt Delacroix has been retired and the dual Group I winner will stand at Coolmore in Ireland in 2026.