Well Written and Matt Cartwright just held out Belle Cheval in the NZB Kiwi, both on the track and in the inquiry room. Photo / Kenton Wright
Champions Day became the Day of Drama on a remarkable afternoon at Ellerslie on Saturday.
In one of the wildest hours in the history of New Zealand horse racing, the winners of the $4 million NZB Kiwi and the $1.25m New Zealand Derby had to survive protests to keep their races.
And the synergies between the two big races was Hollywood-script stuff, although it was almost a horror movie for fans of unbeaten filly Well Written.
She remains unbeaten but by the barest of margins after appearing to have the $4m Kiwi slot race in hand when she strode clear at the 300m.
Then out of the pack came second favourite Belle Cheval from second last, and the two fillies ran in and out to meet in the middle of the Ellerslie straight in the final 50m.
Belle Cheval got her head in front but Well Written bobbed at the perfect moment, which is what winners do.
The symphony of cheers from punters was pierced by the Ellerslie siren for the second time in 40 minutes as the connections of Belle Cheval protested.
They had every right to but the head-on footage showed the two fillies didn’t touch and had both run in or out about the same amount, so the judiciary panel made the right decision.
Well Written remains unbeaten and heads to the paddock for a well-earned spell.
It was a shock to see her pushed so close, suggesting it may not have been Well Written’s best work and that Belle Cheval is one hell of a good filly.
“I am just glad we won, I thought she had got beaten on the line,” said Well Written’s trainer Stephen Marsh.
“We know she can go even better than that but it was the last run of her campaign and she had to carry 58kg.
“I am just glad she was able to win and not let anybody down.”
Well Written is part-owned by breeding and racing giants Yulong, who were involved in the protest 30 minutes earlier over the NZ Derby, in which they also owned runner-up Autumn Glory.
That double down on mega-race protests on the same day was trumped by Cambridge trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood as they trained the Derby quinella but had owners of one of their horses (Yulong) protest against the other.
The owners of Autumn Glory suggested their filly was interfered with by winner Road To Paris, also trained by James and Wellwood.
After a truly run Derby, Autumn Glory looked set to be the winner before Road To Paris ran past her, but he then also veered down toward the rail.
But wait, there is more.
Just as the inquiry was getting started Kylie Hoskin, trainer of third-placed Geneva, entered the room to lodge another protest after being advised by supporters to do so.
So the third horse protested against the second horse, who was protesting against the winner and then to amp up the weirdness, James had to give evidence on behalf of the first and second horses.
The always eloquent James handled it with class, knowing he was about to win his seventh New Zealand Derby regardless of the decision.
But with the margin being a length and Road To Paris having run past Autumn Glory before he went sideways, the right decision was again made.
So James and Wellwood technically lost and won a protest in the same race and still trained the quinella.
And Yulong won the NZB Kiwi with Well Written by defending a protest but remained second in the Derby after losing one.
The Day of Drama had started when Alabama Lass was home in the Haunui Farm King’s Plate until jockey Sam Collett gave her the most casual of love taps with the whip at the 100m mark and the mare panicked.
She smashed into the running rail and dislodged Collett, but the horse returned unscathed.
So too did many punters as the TAB paid out fixed odds bets on Alabama Lass. Nice touch.
After all of that, Legarto may have run her last race after winning the $1m Bonecrusher NZ Stakes but that comes with a “to be determined”, while Lara Antipova sealed Juvenile of the Year honours by remaining unbeaten in the Sistema Stakes.
And an Australian horse nobody at Ellerslie has ever heard of, apart from his owners, called Paradise Storm won the Auckland Cup by a cricket pitch.
It was racing and Ellerslie at its best, equal parts brilliant, beautiful, dramatic and nutty.
But for all those out there with only a fleeting interest in racing, there was only one question that mattered.
Did that Well Written horse win?
Yeah, it did.
But it’s a long story.
Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.