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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
by Christina Bossinakis & Patrycja Szpyra Cherokee Nation (Not This Time) took six starts to break his maiden, but he'd been facing quality rivals in the lead up to his graduation party last Friday. Now, his connections report that elite contests are in the colt's future with their eyes specifically turned toward the GI Santa Anita Derby. “When the kids go to school, they have fancy Friday and [last] Friday was a fancy Friday for us,” said co-owner Tom Ryan. “We're typically looking at Saturday afternoon, but we were very happy to see what Cherokee put together out there. We have high expectations. All going well, he will likely start next in the Santa Anita Derby.” “I don't think that we've had a 3-year-old on the first of March produce a performance like that. And he came back out of the race great. This horse has given us all the indications that this is him putting his hand up [and saying] 'put me in, coach.'” Ryan continued, “For one thing, the timing is great and he's telling us that he's up to the challenge. In regard to the race this weekend, the bar was 100 and he ran 110. The Ragozin came back a four on the sheets, which is a really elite racehorse right there.” Unveiled last September for trainer Bob Baffert, Cherokee Nation was a troubled fourth in his debut at Del Mar and came back Oct. 13 to miss breaking his maiden by a nose to Grade I-placed Mr. A.P. (American Pharoah). “He's been promising all along. He finished behind very high quality horses in his first two starts. We felt he had put together two exiting races.” Sent on a road trip to Kentucky, Cherokee Nation faced salty competition in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club and again after his return to California in the GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes, the former won by Further Ado (Gun Runner) and the latter by 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' GSW & GISP Plutarch (Into Mischief). He ran fifth on both occasions and squeezed another runner-up effort against maidens in between them. “Shipping him to Churchill, it probably was a little bit too much too soon,” said Ryan. “Since coming back to California, we ran him in another graded stakes race because unfortunately we didn't have enough maidens to run out there. If we would have had more opportunities to run in a maiden, I'm sure we would have. So we ended up with a horse that was fit and we felt that we needed to give him chances, and to keep building that foundation. To some degree, maybe it's all been to our benefit that it worked out this way.” Last Friday, it was sixth-time lucky for the $1.15-million Keeneland September yearling purchased by Donato Lanni for the partnership that eventually comprised of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Bashor Racing, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan. He never let Winston Ave (Quality Road) out of his sights and the race was more or less over when he took command on the far turn. It was 10 lengths back to the closest competition. “I really feel that performance the other day was just spectacular. That was a performance that you ask yourself, 'wow, did that really happen?' He traveled into the far turn and it just looked like he was in command of the race at every call. When [jockey Emisael Jaramillo] let him go and asked him, the horse turned into a monster.” “He looked comfortable the whole way and as Bob says, 'We find out more and more about these horses as we run them.' This horse put his hand up as in the trip is not going to be a problem. Whether it's a mile and an eighth or a mile and a quarter, you would have the confidence that this horse would see those trips out.” Ryan continued by confidently stating that, for everything they saw in him at the yearling sale, the circle has looped back around in more ways than one. “[Cherokee Nation] was the most expensive yearling we purchased that year. He doesn't just catch your eye but he stops you in your tracks. He's everybody's type of sexy. He's just a big, beautiful, two-turn horse that is exciting to have in the barn. The fact that he is out of an Indian Charlie mare is full circle with Bob because he trained Indian Charlie and he's such a good broodmare sire. We are truly excited about the horse and about Not This Time. It feels like sky is the limit with that stallion.” Litmus Test | Horsephotos Litmus Test Exits Rebel in Good Shape, Arkansas Derby Next Favored in last weekend's GII Rebel Stakes, SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan's Litmus Test (Nyquist) showed early speed, however, got a little leg weary late, finishing third to Class President (Uncle Mo) and Silent Tactic (Tacitus). Despite the first defeat since his victory in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity on Dc. 13, SF Racing's Tom Ryan wasn't discouraged by the effort. “I thought Litmus Test's performance [ third in the Rebel Stales] was pretty solid,” he said. “I think he'll progress along. He came out of his race in good shape. Oaklawn's [surface] may have been a little more demanding than we initially felt. He's definitely a good horse and we know he's a cut above his performance in the Rebel.” Asked what's next for the $875,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling purchase, Ryan told TDN, “I think he is entitled to run back in the [Mar. 28 GI] Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn. I think he will have benefitted from his run in the Rebel and hopefully, he can move forward off of that.” Likely to return later this season, the partnership's Kristofferson (Nyquist) hasn't been seen since finishing sixth behind Intrepido (Maximus Mischief) in the GI American Pharoah Stakes on Oct. 4. A $1.15 million purchase at Keeneland last September, he narrowly defeated Mr. A.P. (Honor A.P.) in his career debut sprinting six furlongs at Del Mar last August. Mr. A.P. subsequently finished second in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at the seaside oval. “He's at Santa Anita and he's probably going to get a little bit more in the next 10 days and we look forward to him,” said Ryan. “He's a horse that has shown that has shown he has a level of brilliance about him. He ran a 90 Beyer as a 2-year-old and he's got that Nyquist class about him.” The colt was last seen working six furlongs in 1:12.40 at Santa Anita on Jan. 18. In his only other work since the American Pharoah, he worked four furlongs in :46.40, the fastest of 90 at the distance on Jan. 11. “We just backed off him,” said Ryan. “He was a horse that we did all the usual scans to make sure we were happy with him and continued to move forward. Bob [Baffert] felt we should give this horse an easy 30 days. It's not like he's in a paddock in Northern California somewhere. He is at Santa Anita, two stalls down from Bob's office. We look forward to getting him back.” He added, “We just felt we needed to give him a little bit of time over Christmas and through the first part of the year to truly mature physically and mentally, so we can have him humming along through late spring and summer.” Of the older set, Ryan explained that the team is also lookign forward to the return of TDN Rising Stars, presented by Hagyard Cornucopian (Into Mischief) and Imagination (Into Mischief). The former kicked off 2026 with an optional claiming score at Santa Anita on Jan. 31, while the latter was last seen taking the G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint on the Saudi Cup undercard at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Feb. 14. “We are looking foward to Cornucopian being a nice 4-year-old and Imagination is back fro Saudi Arabia,” he said. “We're excited about the group. We have a few difference vintages there but they'll all have their windows to jump through.” “It's a progressive time of the year for us and we have a few in the chamber that, if things go well, we'll have more bullets to fire in the spring and summer.” The post Cherokee Nation, Litmus Test Have Elite Engagements on Their Horizon appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Well Written (Written Tycoon) may carry the colours of thoroughbred industry giant Yulong Investments, but she has an army of other part-owners who will be cheering her home in Saturday’s $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) at Ellerslie. The undefeated Group One-winning filly has 16 individual ownership interests, with Yulong holding the controlling interest, and all her connections are equally enjoying the journey she is taking them on. Well Written has won all five of her starts to date for trainer Stephen Marsh, with Yulong buying their interest in the filly following her victory in the Gr.2 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) last October, with the daughter of Written Tycoon going on to post successive wins in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400m), and $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m). Greg Pope, a member of the 8 Mates Syndicate, has been part of the journey since buying shares in her as a yearling, and he said he is enjoying the ride with his friends, as well as the new friends he has made amongst her other owners. “There is a large ownership group with a lot of friends, and we have made a lot of new friends along the way,” Pope said. “8 Mates have had horses with Stephen before. We are a bunch of guys around retirement age that have been mates for years. We are not in it for the money, we are only a small shareholder in the horse, and it’s all about going to the races with mates and having some fun. “We all head to the races with our wives and get to go on a trip somewhere and this horse has taken us on those trips.” Pope, who has been involved in the racing industry all of his life and has recently retired after working for equine airfreight company IRT for 30 years, has tasted success on the track in the past, but not to the extent of Well Written’s deeds, and he is glad he and his group of mates decided to buy into the filly. “We have raced horses with Stephen Marsh and Chris Waller, and we had a horse called Gold Rush with Lance O’Sullivan who won the Matamata Breeders’ (Gr.2, 1200m),” he said. “During summer around the bar leaner at Whangamata we were told we needed to be in on this horse (Well Written), so we bought a piece of her. So far, so good, and the journey she has taken us on has been a lot of fun.” While Pope has been enjoying the ride with his 8 Mates Syndicate, he said he has also enjoyed meeting Well Written’s other owners, with the large contingent meeting each other for the first time the night before her New Zealand 1000 Guineas victory. “In advance of the 1000 Guineas we teed up on the Friday night down in Christchurch that we all met each other at a bar,” Pope said. “We have now got a great group of people that we can talk to easily and each race those relationships get stronger and stronger. We are fortunate to be with a group of good people.” Pope said he has also enjoyed racing a horse in partnership with Yulong, with his ties with some of their employees going back several decades. “I have known Sam Fairgray (Yulong chief operating officer) for many years from when he was working here in New Zealand at Ra Ora Stud,” Pope said. “Because we knew Sam Fairgray, it was exciting, and it is good for New Zealand racing to have Yulong in there.” Well Written’s success has been a particular tonic for one member of the 8 Mates Syndicate, who is currently battling illness, and Pope is hoping she can continue her winning ways this weekend to provide that much-needed boost. The syndicate will be trackside at Ellerslie on Saturday to cheer home their pride and joy, and Pope said he is enjoying the lead-up to what is becoming New Zealand’s biggest day in racing. “We are all going to be there with our wives,” he said. “I am off to the barrier draw and I was out at Ellerslie on Monday morning to watch her gallop. It’s a great time of life to just be enjoying it.” View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
David Archer has participated in more than enough of racing’s big dances to know that on a racetrack nothing can be taken for granted or predicted with absolute accuracy. That’s why his optimism ahead of Saturday’s $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) remains unbending despite the formidable challenge presented by Well Written, who has dominated pre-race discussions as the unbeaten winner of five races and since the last of those in the $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m), the $1.20 favourite. Archer is the breeder and co-owner with his partner Diane Wright and children Simon and Natalie of Belle Cheval (NZ) (Savabeel), who has staked her own NZB Kiwi claims after winning her last two starts. As the $9 second favourite, the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained filly is the only one of Well Written’s 13 rivals at a single-digit quote on the TAB’s fixed odds market. In just her third start last November, she finished third to Well Written in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and has won both her starts since returning from a let-up. On the eve of her fresh-up win the Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m) on the Karaka Millions support card in late January, Belle Cheval was claimed for the NZB Kiwi by slot holders The King’s Men. Her credentials have been strengthened further by a dominant win in the Gr.3 Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie’s final race meeting ahead of Champions Day. On top of being by champion stallion Savabeel, Belle Cheval has potent pedigree credentials to back her NZB Kiwi claims. She is a half-sister to triple Australian Group One-winning sprinter The Bostonian and is closely related to two-time Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer Mufhasa. Both horses wore Archer’s sliver and blue colours for a combined 30 wins and stake-earnings amounting to some $5.5 million. In the midst of the pair’s winning records, however, were times when not everything went to plan, which is something that Archer is holding onto ahead of Belle Cheval’s attempt to become the first horse to beat Well Written. With tally of 20 wins, and half of those at Group One level, Mufhasa was not only a crowd favourite but also a prime fancy with punters. Not always did pre-race expectations play out, most notably when he lined up as the $1.40 favourite to add the 2011 Gr.2 Tauranga Stakes (1600m) to his record, only to be undone by $18 longshot Lady Chaparral. Archer’s catalogue of memories remains vivid as well as educational and sobering, which buoys him ahead of Belle Cheval’s bid for NZB Kiwi honours. “A horse race is a horse race and you never know what might happen,” Archer said. “We were so fortunate to race two wonderful horses in Mufhasa and The Bostonian, but things didn’t always go their way. “After The Bostonian had won the Doomben 10,000 and Kingsford-Smith in Brisbane, he lined up in the Stradbroke to become the highest weighted horse to complete the big sprint treble. “Just before the race it rained on top of a good surface and when he jumped he slipped so badly that he ripped up this great long strip of turf, lost lengths and that was it, game over. “Towards the end of his career Mufhasa was dealing with breathing and foot issues and in the lead-up to the George Ryder at Rosehill he suffered two (epiglottal) entrapments, but the vets dealt with them and gave him the green light. “Then in the birdcage just before the jockeys mounted he pulled a plate, the farrier had trouble getting it back on and even after all that he still had the race won until Pierro, a horse rated a champion by Gai Waterhouse, got up to beat him by a neck. “After all his wins, with so many things against him, I still rate that performance as one of his very best.” While fully appreciating the size of the task facing Belle Cheval on Saturday, Archer is by no means conceding victory to the hot favourite. “We know on Saturday we’ve got to meet a top, if not champion, filly and we’ll need everything in our favour if we’re any chance of beating her. “The only time the two of them have met was in the 1000 Guineas when our girl had no luck in the running but still made up lengths on Well Written. “Mind you Well Written has been very dominant since and that last win of hers was something else. “Everything has gone to plan with our filly, her trackwork has been very good and if everything works in our favour we’ve got a stunning filly, she’s in the right form and she’s shown that she’s got gears. “The one remaining thing we need is a good gate, and I’ve left that onerous task at the barrier draw function on Tuesday night to Di, it will be up to her. “For me it’s a little early to be counting sleeps, but my son and daughter in Australia are already super-excited and they’re booked to come across with their children from Brisbane and Sydney. “I know it will take something very special to win, but we’ll go along to Ellerslie with a smile on our faces and if she does finish second we’ll be happy. If she was to win, well…” View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
In the 11th instalment of The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Road to the Derby series, we take a look at the “upward trajectory” of Dazzling Fit (NZ) (Ribchester) after his fifth in Sunday’s (1 March) HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m). While Frankie Lor’s Stormy Grove (Toronado) stole the show with a scorching success in the second leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series at Sha Tin, Dazzling Fit produced the sort of run that has trainer David Eustace hoping his charge will be peaking just in time for the 149th HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on 22 March. After missing out on a run in the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) on 1 February, Dazzling Fit entered the Four-Year-Old Classic Series for the middle leg and announced himself as a genuine Hong Kong Derby hope with a gallant fifth at 51/1 odds, three lengths adrift of Stormy Grove. Prominent early before travelling three wide forward of midfield in a race where they rattled along from the 1600m to the 800m, Dazzling Fit stuck on better than all but 3.8 chance Numbers (NZ) (Tivaci). “I felt like there was a lot of merit in the run and it probably showed that he’s not too far off them and still improving,” Eustace said. “It was a solid enough tempo, he was in a rhythm but wide throughout but still stuck on well. I thought it was just a good run and the 2000m should be no problem.” Jockey Luke Ferraris echoed Eustace’s thoughts. “I thought it was a really good run. He didn’t have enough natural speed to get there but I thought we were going a bit quick early so I let my guy get into a rhythm and he’s finished off well,” said Ferraris. A son of Ribchester out of Charge Forward mare Sapphire Lass, Dazzling Fit was bought for NZ$115,000 (approx. HK$538,000) at Karaka in 2023 by Paul Chow and Alex Oliveira’s Tartan Meadow Bloodstock before making his way to owners David and Liann Ho. The gelding’s Hong Kong Classic Cup effort earned him four ratings points, and he sits on a mark of 80 after three wins and three placings from 11 starts. “I think he has earned his place in the Derby,” Eustace said. “I think he will get the trip and he has been trained for this race the whole way through, so I think he will be pretty spot on for the day and still on that upward trajectory.” Dazzling Fit is one of three Eustace-trained gallopers with entries for the BMW Hong Kong Derby, with the trainer confirming Glittering Legend (Too Darn Hot) is unlikely to warrant a spot in the race while Seraph Gabriel remains a chance despite a last-start 12th. “Glittering Legend runs this weekend in the Class 3 mile but he will need to dramatically improve. He is still working things out a bit,” he said. “With Seraph Gabriel, we took the decision to train him for the race and hope he gets in. There’s no guarantee but (owner) Marc (Chan), to his credit, didn’t want to rush the horse and I didn’t want to squeeze another run into him. I thought that would probably just flatten him even if it did get him into the Derby. “But his last run was poor, I was expecting a lot more but he didn’t give a yelp. I’m hoping he was flat off the back of a solid run over a mile, so I’ll trial him next week and hopefully we can get him back on track.” Other four-year-olds with BMW Hong Kong Derby entries who are running this week include Fortune Boy (NZ) (Contributer) in the Class 2 1800m, Natural Numbers (Alabama Express) – who will line up alongside Glittering Legend in the Class 3 1600m – and Super Express (NZ) (Ten Sovereigns) in the Class 3 1400m. The Contenders Name Rating Trainer Owner Record Country of Origin Import Type Little Paradise 103 Jimmy Ting Ko Kam Piu 6-1-1-10 Australia PPG Numbers 100 Frankie Lor 23/24 Frankie Lor Fu Chuen Trainer Syndicate 2-0-1-4 New Zealand PP Sagacious Life 97 Pierre Ng Leslie Lui Chi Yuen 2-0-0-5 Brazil PP Invincible Ibis 94 Mark Newnham Ibis Syndicate 4-3-1-9 Australia PPG Infinite Resolve 89 Mark Newnham Absolute Return Syndicate 1-4-2-10 Australia PP Patch Of Cosmo 89 Manfred Man Simon Yeung Chun Kin 5-0-1-14 New Zealand PPG Beauty Bolt 88 Tony Cruz Eleanor Kwok Law Kwai Chun & Patrick Kwok Ho Chuen 2-3-2-9 Ireland PP Top Dragon 87 Chris So Vincent To Wai Keung, Kenneth To Kin Ting & Ronald To Yiu Ting 3-4-2-13 Australia PPG Regal Gem 85 Frankie Lor Everest Syndicate 3-2-1-12 Great Britain PP Akashvani 82 David Hayes Prem Fathechand Melwani 3-1-2-15 Australia PPG Dazzling Fit 80 David Eustace David Ho & Liann Ho 3-1-2-11 New Zealand PPG View the full article -
By Chief Stipe · Posted
Leading lady produces the perfect NZB Kiwi dress rehearsal Michael Guerin • March 3rd, 2026 10:43 AM • 3 min read Well Written winning the $1.5 million TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) at Ellerslie on Saturday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) If you were looking for ways Well Written can be beaten in New Zealand’s richest-ever horse race, you wouldn’t have found them at Ellerslie on Monday morning.https://bitofayarn.com The unbeaten 3-year-old filly provided the perfect dress rehearsal for Saturday’s $4 million NZB Kiwi with a faultless hit-and-run mission on the home of New Zealand racing. Trainer Stephen Marsh is following the exact same routine that saw Well Written produce one of the great modern-day New Zealand performances by a 3-year-old in the Karaka Millions 3YO, also at Ellerslie on January 24. “We brought her up here to work her a few days before back then and we have followed that again this time,” Marsh said. “But I think she might be better now than she was then.”https://bitofayarn.com Marsh says that is because he has been able to wind Well Written up as he likes in the last fortnight, with no pressure on where she went or when. “She is so clean-winded, she doesn’t need a lot of work and even though we had the option of trialling her up our sleeve, we haven’t needed to use it.” Whatever Marsh has been doing with Well Written in those last six weeks has agreed with her. She waltzed back into Ellerslie, where four of her wins have come, with the poise reserved for the unbeaten and unbowed. Barely a bead of sweat after the float trip from Cambridge, no Auckland traffic tension for the girl not used to going slow.https://bitofayarn.com Well Written hasn’t grown much in those six weeks away from the public eye but for a 3-year-old veteran of just five starts, she seems unflappable – understandable when you consider for Well Written, visits to the racetrack rarely involve strain. Still only around 480kg, with maybe another 20kg or 30kg needing to be packed on as she thickens out next season, the daughter of Written Tycoon looks fit without the overly taut belly of some of our better racehorses, feeling the effects of a busier summer. “That is the great thing, she hasn’t had that many starts and has won most of them pretty easily,” Marsh said. “She has had a few tiny issues along the way but she is spot-on now.” Well Written went out and proved the boss right in her trackwork session, held wide out on the course proper. Galloping with four-win stablemate The Exponent, Well Written worked over 1200m, speeding up for Matt Cartwright from the 600m mark and easing clear in the last 100m as The Exponent got the same view of the special filly that her rivals usually do. Marsh was happy but was empty-handed; no stopwatch needed to tell him what his eyes had seen. “I didn’t bother clocking her, it would have been somewhere between 34 and 35 seconds for her last 600m but we saw exactly what we needed to,” he enthused. As effortless as the work was, Well Written’s next 15 minutes was just as important for those searching for chinks in the armour of a $1.20 favourite.https://bitofayarn.com Recovery: Quick. Attitude: Nonplussed. Departure: Supermodel-like. Swan in, saunter out. It won’t be that easy on Saturday. It can’t be. The NZB Kiwi is, after all, the richest race ever held in New Zealand and comes with a beefy bonus if Well Written wins. If the weather forecasters are right, a fine-day Ellerslie could have 12,000 racing fans creating a wave of energy and the girl with the most camera phones aimed at her will be the chestnut in the removable red hood. And as fast as she is, few of her rivals’ jockeys will be looking to do Well Written any favours – although that usually doesn’t matter when they are behind you. So far, NZB Kiwi week is going perfectly to script for the leading lady. That could, of course, change at Tuesday night’s barrier draw at the Karaka sales complex, screened live on Trackside at 7pm. After all, Well Written could draw the outside gate. That would undoubtedly see her price drift from the rock-solid $1.20 it has been since her Karaka Millions demolition job. But there are still only 14 horses in the NZB Kiwi. And don’t bet on even barrier 14 stopping Well Written on Saturday. NZB Kiwi $4 million plus bonuses, 3-year-olds, 1500m.https://bitofayarn.com (Expected field, barrier draw Tuesday night) Well Written, Matt Cartwright (jockey) Asakura, Dean Yendall Affirmative Action, George Rooke Romanoff, Ryan Elliott He Who Dares, Opie Bosson La Dorada, Ben Thompson Belle Cheval, Mick Dee To Bravery Born, Rory Hutchings https://bitofayarn.com Convinced, Samantha Collett Lollapalooza, Michael McNab Zivou, Warren Kennedy War Princess, Wiremu Pinn Panther, Craig Grylls L’Aigle Noir, Joe Doyle Champions Day What: New Zealand’s richest race day with stakes of $8,550,000. Where: Ellerslie, Auckland. When: This Saturday. Who: Many of our best gallopers, headlined by unbeaten filly Well Written, taking on a smattering of Australians. BIG SATURDAY is all about Champions Day. Race highlights are the NZB Kiwi - New Zealand's richest race, the New Zealand Derby, the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes and Auckland Cup.https://bitofayarn.com Preview shows every day and then tune in on the BIGGEST SATURDAY on Trackside 1 or trackside.co.nz from 11:30am
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