Arrowfield Stud principal John Messara said stallion Written Tycoon’s access to some of the best broodmare stock on offer in spring can only be good for the stallion and his shareholders.

Speaking to host Terry Bailey on Tuesdays With Terry on Racing.com, Messara said Written Tycoon – who is currently the 10th-leading sire for winners this season – is set to make a big impact when he stands his first season based at the Hunter Valley after a loan agreement with Victorian stud Woodside Park.

“We felt that we could actually bring something into the equation because we could give him the opportunity of access also to the Hunter Valley mares – all the expensive and valuable ones – which people are loathe to send on a truck trip with their babies at foot,” Messara said.

“So, he’s going to access 150-odd mares this year that he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do out of Victoria and is good for Victoria as well. All the revenue goes back to Victorians who own him.

“It’s going to be a good exercise, I think. We’ll be giving him some of our best mares ourselves. Hopefully Woodside and the shareholders will be well rewarded.”

Making Written Tycoon more appealing for Arrowfield was the lack of Danehill.

“It’s the source of the best blood we’ve had here for 25 because his sons and grandsons have dominated in Australia and we’ve become victims of our own success to some extent now as we’re looking for outcrosses – something without Danehill in it now – because there is so much of it around,” said Messara, who made a fortune when taking a winning punt on Danehill in the 1980s.

While predicting big things for Written Tycoon at his new base, Messara said he would not be surprised if the farm’s record-breaker Snitzel won a fifth-consecutive champion sires title next season.

“He’s amazing because there are four-consecutive victories and there are only two horses in modern times that have done that,” he said.

“Danehill won nine times but also had four-consecutive victories or more and before that was Star Kindgom.

“Redoute’s (Choice) himself – Snitzel’s father – only had three champion wins and they were spread around – they weren’t consecutive. This guy has gone bang, bang, bang, bang, four in a row and it wouldn’t surprise me if he carried on next year the way he’s going.

“I saw him yesterday. He looks good for a horse that’s turning 18. Last year, he had 150 mares and this year about the same. He’s handling it very well. He’s highly fertile and seems in very good fettle.”

At the other end of the spectrum for Arrowfield is the Dundeel son Castelvecchio, who is preparing for his first season this spring.

“He’s a homebred as well and we get a big thrill out of buying our horses back – often at a big multiple than what we sold them for but nevertheless we know a lot about them and a lot about their families and it helps we bred them,” he said.

“That day when he ran second in the Cox Plate, he was rated by the IFHA (International Federation of Horseracing Authorities) the fifth-best three-year-old in the world and the best in Australia.

“He was a Group 1 winner at two and three and has a lovely pedigree. He’s a little bigger than his father. I am very hopeful about him.”

With the death of Redoute’s Choice, attention turns to his son The Autumn Sun, who won five G1s from nine starts before his first season at stud last year.

“He’s the gun,” Messara said. “The fact he is a son of Redoute’s Choice, who is a proven sire maker. He’s been the best sire maker since Danehill.

“He got a wonderful book of mares in his first season last year,” he said. “We are personally sending him 47 mares ourselves. We are madly keen about him.”

– Andrew Eddy, racing.com

Wu Gok has already played a starring role in recent Sydney staying races and he headlines the nominations for another winter feature at Rosehill.

The six-year-old Chris Waller-trained six-year-old gelding has been allocated top weight of 61kg for Saturday’s Listed WJ McKell Cup (2000m) for which eight of his stablemates are also among the 19 nominations.

Wu Gok is also nominated for the Group Three Premiers Cup (2200m) in Brisbane on Saturday, one of eight of Waller’s McKell Cup nominations who have also been entered for the Doomben race.

The McKell Cup is one of two stakes races on the Rosehill program along with the Listed Civic Stakes (1350m) for which Godolphin sprinter Home Of The Brave heads the weights with 60.5kg.

Wu Gok has been to the fore at Rosehill during the winter period, winning the Listed Lord Mayors Cup (2000m) first-up from a let-up at the end of May before also scoring a determined win in the Listed Winter Cup (2400m) at the same track on June 13.

Both were on heavy tracks.

Nominations for Saturday’s Stayer’s Cup (3200m) at Rosehill have been extended until Tuesday morning after 12 entries were taken on Monday.

Among the Stayer’s Cup nominations is last-start Grand Annual Steeplechase winner Ablaze who is trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.

Maher and Eustace won the Stayer’s Cup last year with Azuro.

-AAP

It was an unlikely win 50m out, but Wu Gok was not letting a stablemate spoil his opportunity to win another cup with the Chris Waller trained six-year-old under Adam Hyeronimus winning the $150,000, listed TAB  Winter Cup (2400m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

Hyeronimus had led all the way with Wu Gok, the top-weight with 59.5kg after his win in the listed Lord Mayors Cup over 2000m at the course two weeks ago, with the pace steady throughout.

The challenges came in the main straight with first Yulong Prince (SAF) (59kg) and James McDonald on the outside and when they could not go forward to secure the lead, secondly, from another stablemate Carzoff (FR) (56kg) and Nash Rawiller inside.

Carzoff, up from racing in Victoria, was up for a fight and headed Wu Gok as they raced closely together. However, in the final strides Hyeronimus asked Wu Gok for more and after the early steady pace there was a reaction with stamina saved in the tank.

Wu Gok went to the lead again with margin a long head at the line with Carzoff (Zoffany) clear of Yulong Prince (Gimmethegreenlight) third, the margin a short head. Scarlett Dream was fourth and Gayatri fifth.

The time was 2.35.92 on the Heavy 9 track with the final 600m in 35.43. Wu Gok was well supported as the favourite, albeit drifting from $2.50 to start at $3.80 on fixed odds and $3.60 on the tote. Wagers late included $20,000 at $4.

“It was good to see the three stablemates fight it out, it was quite an intriguing race in the last 100 meters. The front runner was headed and it is not often they come back and to Adam’s credit he rated him very well and Wu Gok has won another race and he is doing a great job,” said Waller.

Waller commented that the stable might have to send the stayers out to freshen up with a lack of races at the 2400m at the moment and to then bring them back to race again over 2000m in the weeks ahead.

Hyeronimus commented that Wu Gok was racing in a happy frame of mind evidenced by the ability to surge again.

“The 50 meters he really wanted to win and he did a good job,” he said.

Wu Gok, by Sebing out of the Redoute’s Choice mare Lipari, might have surprised the stable with his recent consistency, a factor Waller puts down to maturity, and the results have taken his stakes for owners, the Hermitage Syndicate, to $754,035 from 11 wins and 10 placings with 40 starts.

-Rob Burnet, Thoroughbrednews.com.au

Trainer Chris Waller named the Group 1 The Metropolitan in October as the long-term plan for his in-form stayer Wu Gok who celebrated another feature race win with a fighting victory in the Winter Cup 2020.

The Sebring six-year-old caught the eye first-up at big odds winning the Listed Lord Mayor’s Cup (2000m) in the wet as a $20 shot in an all-Waller trifecta on May 30.

Waller again prepared the first three past the post in the Listed $150,000 Winter Cup (2400m) at Rosehill on Saturday, Wu Gok relishing another Heavy track to salute for the punters as the easing favourite.

The horse was as short as $2.50 in Winter Cup betting at the start of the day but was on the drift all morning eventually jumping at $3.60 through Ladbrokes.com.au.

Jockey Adam Hyeronimus got his mount out to a soft lead and ran along at only three-quarter pace.

Wu Gok was the comfortable front runner throughout with Sweet Thomas sliding up from a three-wide position to settle second on the leader’s outside, while Waller’s Lord Mayor’s Cup runner-up Yulong Prince was tucked away on the rail in third.

Hyeronimus eventually quickened-up the pace at the 800m with Wu Gok leading around the turn onto the straight.

Carzoff was coming with a rails run, while Yulong Prince was nursed up into second by jockey James McDonald putting the challenge to his stablemate and last start conqueror.

Yulong Prince beat off the favourite with 150m to go and looked the winner, before Carzoff knuckled down and looked the danger.

In a thrilling finish however Wu Gok off the soft run up front had enough in the tank to fight back and in a second burst, got the bob of the head to salute ahead of Carzoff and Yulong Prince who just didn’t follow through.

“It was good to see the three stablemates fight it out,” Waller said post-race.

“It was quite an intriguing race the last 100m. It’s not often they come back.

“He won another race, he’s doing a great job.”

With Waller all but ruling Wu Gok out of the Listed $200,000 Grafton Cup (2350m) on July 9, he said the horse was likely to back-up in the Listed $120,000 W J McKell Cup (2000m) at Rosehill on June 27 before being put away for a shot at the Group 1 $750,000 The Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick on October 3.

“I don’t think he’s really a Grafton Cup horse,” Waller said.

“We’ll just send him back to the farm now…there is a race over 2000m in two weeks or we might even just freshen him up and get him ready for a Metrop.”

All-in The Metropolitan 2020 betting at Ladbrokes.com.au has Wu Gok in from $41 to $31 following the Winter Cup results and is available in full here.

-Lucy Henderson, races.com.au

Chris Waller continues to dominate Sydney’s off-season staying races with the premier trainer again providing the trifecta in a local feature at Rosehill.

Two weeks after producing the first three across the line in the Lord Mayors Cup, Waller was again to the fore in the Listed Winter Cup (2400m) on Saturday.

Wet-track specialist Wu Gok was the common denominator, becoming the first horse in history to win both stakes races in a calendar year.

While he took out the first leg in a canter, he had to do it the hard way in the Winter Cup where he fought back after being clearly headed.

Adam Hyeronimus took Wu Gok to the front and he was under siege when stablemate Yulong Prince loomed on the outside and Carzoff on the inside.

“It was good to see the three stablemates fight it out,” Waller said.

“When the frontrunner is headed it’s not often they come back, to Adam’s credit he rated it very well.”

Wu Gok, the $3.80 favourite, kicked to score by a long head over Carzoff ($5.50) with Yulong Prince ($4.80) dying on his run, another short neck away.

Like he did two weeks ago, Waller followed the success with a whitewash of the feature staying race in Brisbane.

This week it was Brimham Rocks who took stable honours in the Tattersall’s Cup at Eagle Farm with his barn mates filling the next three placings.

Waller will look to give his Winter Cup trio a freshen up for a distance drop to 2000m in the WJ McKell Cup in two weeks with The Metropolitan a potential long-term aim for Wu Gok and Yulong Prince.

“Maybe a race like the Metrop is good for Wu Gok because he is getting up in the weights,” Waller said.

“The last 12 calendar months he has won a hell of a lot of races. He went up to Queensland at the start because he was only going fair.”

Hyeronimus cast aside a difficult week to produce a sterling ride on Wu Gok.

The jockey, who celebrated his first Group One win during the autumn aboard Shout The Bar in the Vinery Stud Stakes, has been charged with multiple betting offences relating to races held between June 2016 and January 2019.

Racing NSW stewards are expected to hear the matter next month with Hyeronimus facing a possible two-year ban if found guilty.

-justracing.com.au

Track conditions are the major considerations on the eastern seaboard today with the saturated Rosehill Gardens having the most appeal on the score of jockey talent plus Chris Waller posing two intriguing possibilities.

It may be carnival time in Brisbane but the turf there is under siege like never before and took another hit on the Stradbroke program last Saturday.

Down south at Mooney Valley today the surface has been described as “80 per cent right” after renovations so what eventuates after five or six races is anybody’s guess.

Yes, Rosehill will be heavy but horse players can be assured the rough passage will be handled by astute navigators.

The Eagle Farm ground last Saturday was regarded as concrete rather than grass: too hard following a period of dissatisfaction with the surface while the Stradbroke was the scene of whip abuse by South African veteran Robbie Fradd on Tyzone, the winner by 0.2 lengths.

Fradd was later fined $500 for breach of the rule prior to the 100 metres. While the number of strikes wasn’t recorded in the stewards’ report it’s surprising a protest didn’t eventuate on the grounds of an unfair advantage on a margin so minor. Being a group 1 race, the penalty seemed light although the prize money chop to $203,000 to the winner probably necessitated leniency.

Good, bad and ugly rides even from champion jockeys are always a possibility but with restrictions due to COVID-19 Brisbane hardly has a vintage group currently which makes Rosehill so appealing with the benefit of Hugh Bowman, James McDonald, Kerrin McEvoy, Nash Rawiller, and Glen Boss, hotly pursued by Brenton Avdulla, Tim Clark, Tom Berry, and Rachel King, with others on the verge of the category.

The best ride will win the Winter Cup (2400 metres) promising another epic example of Wallerism, the mass representation for the trainer with five out of the eight in the field yesterday while at Eagle Farm he had seven out of the 12 acceptors in the Tattersall’s Cup over the same journey.

Again this monopoly is unique in Australian turf history. Long ago I claimed a world record for Waller’s longer-priced candidates beating shorter-priced stablemates.

Today’s Rosehill staying test lacks a known pacemaker. We wait with bated breath for official tactic changes to see whether a sacrificial lamb puts speed into the race. Surely Bowman (The Lord Mayor), McDonald (Yulong Prince) and Rawiller (Carzoff) will be left to their own devices and not be under the influence of riding instructions formulated by stable map-makers.

Waller’s Wu Gok ($20), under Adam Hyeronimus, beat a herd of generally shorter-priced stablemates last start in the Lord Mayors Cup over the wet 2000m at Rosehill two weeks back at his first start after a spell, a feat rarely achieved at the journey. Carrying the “mudlark” tag the gelding has to extend another 400 metres today humping three more kilos to 59.5kg. He was $2.60 favourite yesterday, under the odds for mine.

Maybe Waller doesn’t have the same influence with two-year-olds but gets excellent results cuddling late-season youngsters with Captivare, purchased for $1.4 million as a yearling, promising to be an example having his first race in the opener.

Captivare has been educated in three recent barrier trials by Bowman, who handles the more experienced Andermatt for James Cummings against him while Boss pilots the Waller youngster.

Only Bowman knows how good Captivare is going: he extended briefly on him in a couple of trials and what he felt is the answer. On trials another two-year-old, Oh Say, making her debut against him is faster.

What makes a young horse bring so much money while Rothfire, impressive scoring in the JJ Atkins at Eagle Farm last Saturday, was picked up for only $10,000? Captivare could answer the question today.

-Max Presnell, The Sydney Morning Herald