Well Written could opt for Railway over Karaka Millions – Mick On Monday

Ceolwulf (in green and yellow) was brave in winning the A$3 million Champions Mile at Flemington on Saturday. Photo / Bruno Cannatelli

Trainer Stephen Marsh has thrown a curve ball into futures markets for two of New Zealand’s biggest races after Well Written’s dazzling New Zealand 1000 Guineas win on Saturday.

The Cambridge trainer was busy fielding phone calls on Sunday, including offers from slot holders in the $4 million NZB Kiwi, to be at Ellerslie on March 7.

It wouldn’t surprise to see a deal done soon that will seal Well Written’s place in the NZB Kiwi, in which she is eligible for a huge bonus as the Guineas winner.

But what is not certain – and will be crucial for future punters – is which path Marsh chooses to get Well Written to the Kiwi.

The most lucrative and obvious is the $1.5m Karaka Millions Three-Year-Old at Ellerslie on January 24, the race Damask Rose won on her way to adding the NZB Kiwi crown last season.

But Damask Rose hadn’t been to Riccarton and back last season and Marsh has told the Herald he will consider the Sistema Railway, also on Karaka Millions night, instead of the 3-year-old race.

“Obviously, we don’t need to make any decision yet,” Marsh said.

“The good news is she bounced straight out of the race in great shape and ate everything we put in front of her on Saturday night.

“We will get her home and have a good think about everything but the NZB Kiwi is the main aim and what we do next will be about getting her there in the best shape.”

While the KM Three-Year-Old is worth $1.5m versus the Railway’s $700,000, Marsh says the Group 1 sprint could ultimately provide the best stepping stone.

“Initially, I am thinking going 1200m late January and then moving on up to the 1500m of the Kiwi sounds better than getting her up for a hard 1600m and then bringing her back to 1500m, even though I know the winner did it last season.

“If she is going to start in the Karaka Millions, she is going to need at least one lead-up race in January, whereas if we decide to go the Railway, she could go in fresh.”

That will have punters, bookies and the trainers of her rivals eagerly awaiting what Marsh and his ownership group decide to do, as Well Written is the $2.20 favourite for the Karaka Millions Three-Year-Old, but with the safeguard that bets on horses not nominated for the race will be refunded.

Well Written was not even listed in the Sistema Railway market on Sunday, with Alabama Lass the $4 favourite.

If Marsh does decide to go to the Railway, Well Written will get in with a light weight under the set weights and penalty conditions, with Alabama Lass carrying just 52kg when beaten by a short head by Crocetti in the glamour sprint last January.

Perfect timing

Ceolwulf was like a equine advertising hoarding for this week’s Ready To Run sales as he clawed his way to victory in the A$3m ($3.46m) Champions Mile at Flemington on Saturday.

The New Zealand-bred galloper won his fourth Group 1 in one of the races of the carnival as he beat Pericles after being clearly headed at the 200m mark.

Ceolwulf adds the victory to his two wins in the A$5m King Charles Stakes in Sydney and the A$1.5m Epsom and now has earnings of A$8.9m half way through his 5-year-old season.

That is a mammoth return on the $170,000 Auckland owner Leighton Howl and trainer Joe Pride paid for Ceolwulf from the Riversley Park draft at the Ready To Run sale at Karaka three years.

It caps a remarkable last few years for Ready To Run graduates, with Group 1 stars Mr Brightside, Antino, Gringotts, War Machine and Golden Sixty, just days before this week’s sale, which starts at Karaka at 10am on Wednesday.

Coelwulf’s trainer Pride is just one of the Australian trainers expected to attend Karaka this week while New Zealand Bloodstock has attracted a strong contingent of trainers and owners from Hong Kong.

“It has been a dream few years for this sale and its graduates so to see Ceolwulf win like that on the biggest stage on Saturday just caps if off nicely,” NZB managing director Andrew Seabrook said.

“We have a very strong catalogue and are expecting a good week for the industry.”

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.