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...
Third Stakes Success For Justify’s Spicy Martini
A winner of four from six, three at stakes level highlighted by the reschedule Group 3 Fred Best Classic (1350m), the Toby Edmonds & Stephen McLean trained Spicy Martini (Justify) will now head to the Group 1 Stradbroke with just 49.5kgs on her back – not bad for an $8,000 online yearling purchase!
New Winner for Bivouac
Godolphin have been  enjoying a winning run with their late season juveniles and it continued at Geelong on Thursday where Bivouac gelding Loving opened his account.
Blueblood Import - American-Bred Jillaroo Records First Win
Purchased at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale by Ciaron Maher, the now 4yo mare Jillaroo (USA) (Curlin) initially started her racing career in the United States but after an Australian debut second at Caulfield in early May, recorded her maiden victory at Doomben.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Frosty Girl impressive on debut
The Chris Waller-trained Frosty Girl made the perfect start to her career when coming from last to land the Asahi Super Dry Plate (1300m) on debut at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
Inglis Ready 2 Race Entries Open
Entries for the Inglis Ready2Race Sale – Australasia’s most progressive 2YO Sale – are now open.
Written By Filly Dominates Warwick Farm Juvenile Contest
First seen at the two-year-old trials back in September, Marc Conners’ chestnut filly Penpel (Written By) produce a quality effort at just her second racetrack appearance, racing clear at Warwick Farm to score by more than three lengths.