Stud time put on hold for colt
GRAHAME Begg has told some of Australia’s biggest studs they won’t be entertaining any multi- million offers for Blue Diamond- winning colt Written By until after the spring, confirming the soon- tobe three- year- old will target the Coolmore Stud Stakes in November.
The exciting colt has won four of his five starts, including Victoria’s richest two- year- old race, with his only defeat coming when an unlucky fourth in the Golden Slipper in late March.
The striking chestnut has been back in work for three weeks with his main spring target being the $ 1 million Coolmore Stud Stakes on Derby Day — won by Merchant Navy last year.
“There has been a lot of interest from the major Hunter Valley ( stud) farms,” Begg told the Townsville Bulletin. “But we have just put them back in their corner for a while because we are not going to sell the horse before the spring.
“He is not going to stud this year, so there was no rush to do anything. We are going to revisit it after the spring and we will see what happens.”
A son of leading stallion Written Tycoon, Written By has already franked his future in the breeding barns by winning this year’s Blue Diamond.
But if the colt can win the Coolmore, one of Australia’s best stallion- making races — won in recent years by Merchant Navy, Flying Artie, Brazen Beau, Zoustar, Sepoy and Northern Meteor — it would increase the already sizeable offers coming from some of Australia’s leading breeding operations.
Written By will likely have his third start for the campaign in the Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington, with one of his lead- in runs being considered as the Blue Sapphire Stakes at Caulfield.
“It would be nice to nail that one ( the Coolmore),” Begg said.
The horse was bred by Begg’s father, legendary trainer Neville Begg, who still owns the colt with partners.
Written By will also be nominated to take on the older sprinters in the $ 1 million Darley Classic, but is not expected to go in that pathway, allowing him enough time off to tackle the autumn.
“We feel the horse’s form would have to be very good to run in the Darley,” Begg said. “You don’t get much of a turnaround between the spring and the autumn.
“If you hang around for an extra week for the Darley, it is a week that he could have been out in the paddock.”
Begg said Written By had come back into work looking a more furnished individual following a nine- week break, spent mainly in Cootamundra.
“I’m very, very happy with him at the moment,” he said. “He has put on good condition. He has certainly matured a lot and thickened up.”