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Stephen Marsh believes Well Written can measure up to her Australian rivals in the Epsom Handicap, but he is desperate for clear skies.
Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh concedes New Zealand form has been “a bit sketchy” in recent times. And he believes his unbeaten mare Well Written could have been treated better at the weights for her shot at the $1.5 million group 1 Epsom Handicap on Saturday at Randwick, when she races outside New Zealand for the first time.
But he is also confident he has “the right horse for the job” – if the heavy rain stays away. Well Written, a two-time group 1 winner, is set to make her much-anticipated debut in Australia before taking on star Victorian mare Sheza Alibi in the $10 million Golden Eagle at Randwick on October 31. The four-year-old arrived on Tuesday night and is staying at the former Leilani Lodge stables at Randwick now leased by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
A $32,500 weanling and $80,000 yearling buy before powerhouse Yulong acquired a 50 per cent share a year ago, Well Written took all before her as a three-year-old, winning six times, including a photo-finish victory over subsequent group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes champion Belle Cheval in the $4 million Kiwi . Well Written could start favourite in front of Autumn Boy in Saturday’s Epsom at Randwick.
The daughter of Written Tycoon returned with a dominant victory in the group 1 weight-for-age Proisir Plate four weeks ago at Ellerslie and Marsh said “she looks exceptionally good”. After drawing well in barrier three, Marsh’s main concern is the possibility of a rain-affected track. The forecast is for a high chance of showers late on Friday and into Saturday, when there is also the potential for thunderstorms. She has never raced on heavy going.
“It’s one of the great handicaps, and it’s exciting to bring an unbeaten horse over,” said Marsh, whose biggest win this side of the Tasman was with Sofia Rose in the 2016 group 1 Australian Oaks. “Early on, she trialled up on a wet track and couldn’t really go on that; she ran about fourth or fifth. We call her a New Zealander, but she’s by Written Tycoon, so she’s sort of half New Zealand.
But she doesn’t ultimately like wet tracks, so if a storm does come, I would be very concerned. ” Well Written, backed into $3.50 favouritism on Thursday over a drifting Autumn Boy , was given 55 kilograms for the Epsom, a weight that surprised Marsh.
“I’m certainly not one to complain or anything like that, but I didn’t quite probably expect 55,” he said of his first Epsom runner. “Probably a couple of horses in the race I didn’t expect us to be so close to, so it’s certainly not going to be an easy job with 55, but that’s the way it’s been handicapped.
“I was very surprised when we got half a kilo less than Autumn Boy and where the ratings are, but that’s the way they do it. I guess I’ll stick to my job, and they stick to theirs. ”Marsh said the Golden Eagle is the main target, and how Well Written performs in her two Randwick runs will determine if she returns to Australia in the autumn.
He was glad to see Belle Cheval frank the New Zealand form in the Vinery at Rosehill, but he remains wary of a class Epsom field also including 2024 winner Ceolwulf and a long list of lightweight chances.
“We’ve come back fresh up as a four-year-old, and four-year-old mares at weight for age predominantly don’t have outstanding records, unless they’re that fair bit better,” he said of the Proisir win. “And I like the way she won it. She beat a very strong field. She only had two trials, so I think her form will stack up.
But I guess you’ve got to say that the New Zealand form has been maybe a little bit sketchy in the past couple of months.
“It’s a pretty open Epsom – there’s no $2 pop this year that looks unbeatable. I thought it’s quite an even line-up and some of those horses are maybe a touch out of form, but then they probably get into an Epsom quite well. ” He expects “the most exciting galloper” he has trained to handle the trip well and show she is the finished product.
“She looks a stronger version of herself now than she was at three, and mentally she’s probably a lot better,” he said. “She used to get a little bit upset around the barriers and all that, but she just seems a lot more the complete article now. “Her first two trials, I think she was the quickest of all the two-year-olds, but she was just a little bit weak and a little bit frail.
“We gave a little spell and when she came back the next time, she just went ahead leaps and bounds. She just looked a different horse. She’s always showed plenty, but sometimes those horses don’t keep taking that next step, and she just keeps taking it easy. ”
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