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...
Briasa Wins $1million G2 Premiere Stakes- Everest Next
Twin Hills Stud’s Smart Missile will have a runner in the $20million The Everest and his explosive grey sprinter Briasa will be going into the race in top form following an exciting win at Randwick on Saturday in  the $1million Group I ATC Premiere Stakes (1200m).
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.
First Stakes Horse for Home Affairs
The Group III ATC Breeders Plate (1000m) at Randwick on Saturday attracted a strong field of talented colts from the recent official 2YO trials in Sydney and Home Affairs looks to have a quality youngster in I’m Ya Huckleberry.
Media World Adds to Millionaire Yearling Stakes Success
Stakes racing on Saturday produced a number of stakes-winners purchased for seven figures as yearlings in Australia with $1.8million Inglis Easter sale-topper Autumn Glow leading the way in the Group I ATC Epsom after earlier success for $1million 2YO Incognito, while at Flemington $1.4million entire Media World took out the Listed VRC Paris Lane Stakes (1400m).
One To Watch - Geelong
Woodside Park Stud received a nice update for the Written Tycoon colt they will be offering at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale when his two-year-old full brother Marnix made an impressive winning career debut over 1250 metres at Geelong on Friday.
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).
Sires With Winners - Sunday October 5
Here is the full list of 47 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
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.
Historic Day in Kalgoorlie - Old Meets the New
Kalgoorlie knows how to party, and on Cup day 2025 the party was big!
Pedigree Watch – Juvenile Stakes-Winners
Three new season juvenile stakes races on Saturday produced a $1million yearling purchase that gave Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside the perfect start to his stud career, a pinhook winner turned stakes-winner and a colt foaled in Australia with a Kiwi pedigree.