Glamour mare Well Written (Written Tycoon) has done nothing but please trainer Stephen Marsh since her arrival in Sydney for a two-start high-stakes campaign.

The unbeaten four-year-old travelled without incident and quickly settled into her new surroundings ahead of a crack at Saturday’s A$1.5 million Gr.1 TAB Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick.

All going well, she will be back in action there in the A$10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) on October 31.

“She left the Cambridge stable about 4pm on Tuesday and flew over and got here just after 10pm,” Marsh said.

“She walked off the float here like she had just come from home to the Cambridge synthetic, she’s unbelievable and didn’t have a sweat mark on her.”

Well Written is no stranger to travel and Marsh was confident her latest trip wasn’t going to be anything but smooth.

“She was born over here and flew to New Zealand as a weanling and flew to Riccarton for the 1000 Guineas (Gr.1, 1600m), so she’s been on enough planes,” he said.

Well Written and Marsh are enjoying the hospitality of trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, who have last-start Gr.3 Cameron Handicap (1500m) winner Fully Lit (Hellbent) in the Epsom line-up.

“They have given us a beautiful stable here and she’s just so settled,” he said.

“We took her for a canter this morning, she doesn’t need to do any fast work, she’s very well and is ready for Saturday.”

Well Written will be ridden by Zac Lloyd and from barrier three is expected to get every chance to extend her winning sequence to eight.

“She’s got the good gate and hopefully, there’s no rain. It’s a blue sky today and going to be very hot, but there could be the odd thunderstorm on Saturday but we’re only worrying about what we can control,” Marsh said.

Meanwhile, Gr.1 Proisir Plate (1400m) placegetter Media World (Written Tycoon) will drop back to sprinting following his unplaced run in the Gr.1 Howden Insurance Mile (1600m) at Hastings.

“He’s a colt and we wanted to give him a crack at another Group One, but he didn’t get the trip,” Marsh said.

“He’ll be freshened and go to the Spring Sprint (Gr.3, 1400m) on the last day at Hastings.”

El Vencedor (NZ) (Shocking) also dropped out of contention for the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) after he tailed the field home in the Howden.

“He’ll run next in an open mile at Ellerslie as a lead into the Balmerino Stakes (Gr.3, 2000m),” Marsh said.

On the domestic front on Saturday, he expected Hidden Achievement (I Am Invincible) to be among his top chances at Matamata where he will contest the Ancroft Developments Handicap (1200m).

Like Well Written and Media World, he will carry the colours of Yulong and will be making his New Zealand debut after breaking his maiden for Chris Waller and finished runner-up in the Gr.1 JJ Atkins (1600m). - Paul Vettise

Pride follows proven path with Ceolwulf

Joe Pride believes Ceolwulf (NZ) (Tavistock) is doing everything a little better this spring as the dual Group One winner prepares to tackle Saturday’s Gr.1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick.

The 59kg topweight will follow a familiar path through the Epsom towards the Gr.1 King Charles III Stakes (1600m), with Pride intent on having his star galloper at his peak for the latter assignment.

“Ceolwulf’s fantastic, I’m really happy with him,” Pride said. 

“He’s been racing really consistently this preparation and racing better than he was at the same time last year.

“He’s going to the Epsom again on Saturday and then into the King Charles, so it’s easy to compare him year to year. I think by anyone’s standards he looks like he’s doing everything a little bit better this year.”

The six-year-old son of Tavistock captured the Epsom in 2024 before adding the King Charles III Stakes to his record. Last spring, he finished sixth in the Epsom before successfully defending his King Charles crown and going on to win the Gr.1 Champions Mile (1600m) at Flemington. 

That record gives Pride confidence in the programme, although he acknowledges Saturday’s handicap presents a demanding assignment.

“To be honest, it’s not a race I go into on Saturday expecting to win,” he said.

“I’d love to think he could win, but it’s an important race in preparing this horse to perform at his absolute best on King Charles Day and beyond.”

Ceolwulf has drawn barrier seven for Chad Schofield and, with 59kg, will concede weight to each of his rivals as he attempts to regain his Epsom title.

Some give in the Randwick surface would be welcomed by Pride, with rain in the forecast later in the week. 

“I’d love to think it was a little bit wet there on Saturday, but we’ll really see the best of him on King Charles Day,” he said. 

Pride is sticking with a preparation that has already proven successful with the gelding.

“I’m very much a pattern trainer and I like finding what works for a horse and then repeating it,” he said.

“I think it’s a proven formula for my stable and we’re just trying to replicate what we did last year.

“If we can come away with two Group Ones again this preparation, that would be the absolute icing on the cake for us.”

Bred by Cambridge Stud owners Sir Brendan and Lady Jo Lindsay, Ceolwulf is out of the Shamardal mare Las Brisas.

The gelding is a graduate of the 2022 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale, where Pride and part-owner Leighton Howl secured him for $170,000 from Riversley Park’s draft.

Ceolwulf has recorded seven wins, five seconds and four thirds from 30 starts, earning more than $11.1 million in prizemoney, with a further $731,250 in bonuses. - NZ Racing Desk

Dennis holds strong hand at Wingatui

Robert Dennis will take one more than a baker’s dozen to Wingatui on Friday, and the Ascot Park trainer is favoured to return home with a handful of winning cheques.

The 14 runners make up nearly half of Dennis’ racing team, and he is hoping for a strong outcome on Friday following a trying last few months in the deep south.

“We have had a very trying winter and early spring, it has been terribly wet, hence why this meeting has been moved to Wingatui,” he said.

“Our team have been putting in the hard yards day in and day out, getting the horses worked and looking after them. They have been fronting up, and the horses have been running well lately.”

Dennis currently has a handful of favourites for the eight-race card, including The Princie One (NZ) (Savabeel), who leads three stablemates in the market for the Nellies Wine Bar & Restaurant (1200m).

The five-win mare will be first-up, and Dennis is hoping for a bold showing as he looks towards New Zealand Cup Week with the daughter of Savabeel.

“She is going to take a stack of improvement from the run,” he said. “How will she cop a really heavy track is a big question mark, but we need to get the show on the road with her and try and have her fit and ready for Cup Week.

“We are eyeing up the Pegasus (Listed, 1000m) and Stewards (Listed, 1200m). We will keep our options open and gauge it as we go.”

The Princie One will be met on Friday by stablemates The Hangover (NZ) (Zacinto), Sir Sterling (NZ) (Iffraaj) and Magnastar (NZ) (Magna Grecia).

“The Hangover profiles well for this race,” Dennis said. “He has got a nice, light weight (55.5kg), and he goes a good race fresh. He seems to thrive in the Heavy and he appears to be in good order. He could be a reasonable chance there.

“Sir Sterling is back from the Winter Cup (Gr.3, 1600m) where he had a heart fibrillation. In an ideal world, he would have ran two weeks ago at Gore and be running over the mile this Friday. Gore was off, so he is here over 1200m, but he will be competitive. He is always there or thereabouts, and that weight relief (3kg) should bring him right into it.”

“Magnastar is rock-hard fit, he has been up and racing very consistently in reasonably competitive fields. He goes well at Wingatui over 1200m. He could be a cheeky one lower in the handicap.”

Time Test mare Smiling Eyes (NZ) (Time Test) has pleased in her two starts this preparation, winning first-up over 1200m at Oamaru last month before runner-up over 1400m at Riccarton earlier this month, and will tackle Friday’s Grand Casino (1600m).

“We saw the noms for the open mile that she is in and thought she would be competitive there, so we opted for that instead of the 75 1400m,” Dennis said. “She gets a nice, light weight (54kg) and Yogesh (Atchamah) stays on board, he knows her well. She has put in two top runs, and she seems to have trained on well since. Her form has been franked, Hakkinen (NZ) (Savabeel) only beat her by half a length or so and he has come out and won again.”

Five-year-old mare Santita (NZ) (Redwood) has been faultless since joining Dennis’ barn at the start of the season, winning both of her starts, and Dennis is hoping she can extend her southern unbeaten record to three on Friday in the More FM (1400m).

“She has done no wrong since she has come down to us,” Dennis said. “She gets a good bit of weight relief with Tom Wigram on. She won over the course and distance two starts ago and she seems to really thrive on the Heavy going. It is a step up in grade from 65 company, and there are a couple of handy enough horses in here, but she should be a good chance again.”

Dink (NZ) (Swiss Ace) heads the market for the Otago Engineering (1400m), but Dennis thinks stablemate Marcus Attillus (NZ) (Circus Maximus) is also a handy chance fresh-up.

“Dink handled the step up to 65 grade well last time at Timaru,” Dennis said. “She was left being the chaser for the runaway leader and only just got nutted for second in the last few strides. Up to 1400m I think is going to help, she won’t have to burn so much gas early. Three kilos off with Tom (Wigram) on is going to help as well. She won in really heavy going at Wingatui two starts ago, but I am not convinced that is ideal for her, but she obviously gets through it okay.

“Marcus Attillus is fresh-up and is a lovely, big, strong gelding. He has shown good ability. He has been in work for a while and he should be fit enough and ready to rock and roll first-up.”

Ace High gelding Hammer (NZ) (Ace High) won convincingly on debut at Oamaru last month and Dennis is hoping he can measure up to rating 65 grade on Friday in the KB Contractors (1200m), for which he is a $3.90 equal favourite with Ripa Time (NZ) (Time Test).

“Hammer did a few things wrong in his maiden win and he was pretty green,” Dennis said. “He has still got plenty to learn, and that might find him out, but he has trained on very well since. He is looking more and more like a racehorse week-to-week. He has really gone the right way. It will be a question how he gets on on a really heavy track, but he is a handy enough horse.”

While The Princie One is on a path towards black-type targets at New Zealand Cup Week in November, she won’t be the only stable runner heading north to Canterbury over the coming weeks, with three-year-old fillies Midnight Oak (NZ) (Derryn) and Wise Dancer (NZ) (Noverre) also on the hunt for stakes success.

“Midnight Oak was an impressive winner at Timaru last week and she might have a crack at the Barneswood (Gr.3, 1400m),” Dennis said.

“Wise Dancer was pretty good first-up as well for second. She might have a go at the War Decree (Gr.3, 1400m).

“We will have a throw at the stumps with two fillies like that and if they foot it with those good three-year-olds, we will press on, otherwise we will pull stumps and look to summer and autumn with them.” - Joshua Smith

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