A flawless three-year-old campaign has earned Well Written New Zealand racing's highest accolade, with the unbeaten now 4YO mare crowned 2025/26 New Zealand Horse of the Year barely 24 hours after beginning her new season with another Group 1 triumph. The daughter of Written Tycoon went through her entire three-year-old preparation without defeat, winning all six starts and transforming herself from an unraced $80,000 yearling into a mare with more than $2.6 million in prizemoney. Her outstanding season also secured Champion Three-Year-Old honours at Sunday night's New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards, with Well Written becoming the only winner of that category this century to remain unbeaten throughout her three-year-old season. None of the other champions during that period escaped defeat fewer than twice, while no winner of the division during the past decade had recorded more than five victories at three, according to racingnews.co.nz. Trainer Stephen Marsh and bloodstock agent Dylan Johnson personally selected Well Written for $80,000 from Brighthill Farm's draft at the 2024 NZB National Online Yearling Sale – she was originally sold for $32,500 at the 2023 Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale – and her rise has been spectacular. Among her defining performances was a six-length demolition of her opposition in the $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO over 1600 metres, while her exceptional season ultimately carried her to the country's premier equine award. In an appropriately dramatic prelude to the ceremony, Well Written returned as a four-year-old at Ellerslie on Saturday and defeated older rivals in the $400,000 Gr1 Proisir Plate over 1400 metres, extending her winning sequence and immediately adding another elite-level success to her record.The awards evening recognised a formidable collection of New Zealand performers, with unbeaten dual Group winner Lara Antipova crowned Champion Two-Year-Old following a four-start juvenile campaign highlighted by the Gr1 Sistema Stakes. First Five, whose rapid rise from rating 83 company culminated in two Gr1 weight-for-age victories, was named Champion Sprinter-Miler, while five-time Gr1 winner Legarto collected her second Champion Middle Distance Horse title after completing a career in which she earned more than $3 million. Trans-Tasman Oaks winner Ohope Wins was Champion Stayer and Jesko took Champion Jumper honours. Craig Grylls secured Jockey of the Year after winning his second successive national premiership and leading the country in both black-type wins and stakes earnings, while Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson retained Trainer of the Year after Te Akau Racing produced 20 domestic black-type victories. Yulong Investments, whose New Zealand bloodstock interests included Well Written and Ohope Wins, was named Owner of the Year. Two special awards provided further historical resonance: the Williams family of Little Avondale Stud received the NZTR Award for Outstanding Contribution to Racing, while the late champion stallion Savabeel was posthumously honoured for Outstanding Global Achievement after a stud career yielding 36 individual Group 1 winners, 159 stakes winners and 10 New Zealand champion sire titles. Yet the evening belonged above all to Well Written, whose perfect season ensured that a mare who began the campaign without a racecourse appearance ended it officially recognised as New Zealand's best.
The Gr1 NZ 1000 Guineas was the 2025/26 pinnacle for Well Written (pic: nzb.co.nz)
Gr1 Goodwood Renamed for Elite Broadcaster
Tuesday, 8th September 2026
One of South Australia's most prestigious races will permanently carry the name of Bruce McAvaney after the legendary broadcaster was honoured on a memorable night for the state's racing industry, with the $1 million Gr1 Goodwood at Morphettville renamed The McAvaney Goodwood. The announcement accompanied McAvaney's induction into the South Australian Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame in the Associate category during the Sportsbet SA Racing Awards at Morphettville's Wolf Blass Event Centre, creating an enduring link between the celebrated Adelaide-born commentator and the sport in which his extraordinary broadcasting career began. South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas participated in the induction and paid tribute to McAvaney's contribution to racing and Australian sport, while the renaming recognises a relationship with South Australian racing extending almost five decades, reports racingsa.com.au. McAvaney called his first race meeting at Mindarie-Halidon in 1977 and subsequently made his first on-air call at Oakbank for radio station 5DN before developing into one of the country's most recognisable sporting voices. Although his career has encompassed Olympic Games, AFL, athletics, tennis, motor racing and numerous other major events, thoroughbred racing has remained a central passion, and he continues to play a prominent role in Seven's coverage of the Adelaide Racing Carnival. The awards ceremony also celebrated the outstanding performers of the 2025/26 South Australian season, headed by jockey Jason Holder, who collected a record-equalling fourth John Letts Medal after previously winning in 2013/14, 2015/16 and 2022/23. The 51-year-old completed a clean sweep of the statewide and metropolitan jockey premierships with 84 South Australian winners, including 47 in metropolitan company, drawing level with Jamie Melham as the most successful rider in the award's history. Trainer Garret Lynch dominated the broader premiership categories, securing the statewide, provincial and country titles, while Phillip Stokes was crowned South Australian Metropolitan Trainer of the Year. Mating Call was named the Festival Hire South Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year and Thunder Shoc received the award for South Australian Best Performed Racehorse. Another emotional highlight came when Lauren Stojakovic won the inaugural SA Racing Most Memorable Moment Award after making a fairytale return to riding following an absence of more than eight years, winning with her first mount back before later partnering Brave Hustler to victory in the Gr3 David Coles AM Stakes. Yet the defining announcement of the evening was reserved for McAvaney, whose name will now be associated permanently with a race first run in 1881 and previously won by champions including Takeover Target and Black Caviar.
Coolmore Becomes Pembrey’s Priority
Tuesday, 8th September 2026
Tony Gollan has abandoned any temptation to chase an Everest berth with talented filly Pembrey and will instead freshen the three-year-old for the $2 million Gr1 Coolmore Stud Stakes over 1200 metres at Flemington on October 31 following her unplaced run in Saturday’s Gr2 Furious Stakes at Randwick. The daughter of Prague had surged into Everest calculations after an emphatic first-up victory in the Gr2 Silver Shadow Stakes, prompting James McDonald to publicly suggest she deserved a slot, but her sixth placing as a $2.00 favourite in the Furious convinced Gollan that keeping her against her own age down the Flemington straight represented the more suitable path, reports punters.com.au. Pembrey had been expected to progress through the Princess Series after her brilliant return, having already shown high-class sprinting ability as a juvenile when winning the Gr3 Magic Night Stakes before finishing 14th from a wide draw in the Gr1 Golden Slipper, but Gollan had deliberately resisted becoming swept up in Everest speculation before the Furious. The trainer had repeatedly maintained that the second leg of the Princess Series would determine the remainder of her spring and had flagged both the Gr1 Golden Rose and Coolmore Stud Stakes among the alternatives should connections choose not to extend her towards the 1400-metre Gr2 Tea Rose Stakes and 1600-metre Gr1 Flight Stakes. Pembrey’s Silver Shadow performance had understandably generated excitement after she crossed from a wide barrier, controlled the race and accelerated clear to defeat Bangkok Hottie by 2.44 lengths in a slick 1:08.74, earning praise from McDonald for both her sustained speed and her capacity to quicken from it. However, Saturday’s result provided the reality check Gollan had always allowed for, and rather than stretching the Kia Ora Stud-bred and raced filly deeper into the Princess Series or asking her to confront Ka Ying Rising and Australia’s elite open sprinters in The Everest, the Queensland premier trainer has opted to regroup. The decision keeps Pembrey at 1200 metres, gives her time between runs and sets up a return to the scene of one of Australian racing’s premier three-year-old sprint contests, where the straight six furlongs should provide a searching test of the speed that has been her defining asset. The Coolmore also offers the significant attraction of Gr1 success against her own generation, an outcome that would add considerable value to a filly already boasting Group victories at two and three. What briefly threatened to become an Everest campaign has therefore resolved into a more measured spring objective, with Gollan choosing preservation and placement over ambition for ambition’s sake.
Ka Ying Rising Smashes Record Again
Tuesday, 8th September 2026
Any lingering doubts about Ka Ying Rising's readiness to defend his Everest crown was emphatically removed at Sha Tin when the world's premier sprinter demolished his own 1200-metre course record for the fifth time while stretching his extraordinary winning sequence to 21 races. Carrying 61kg in the Gr3 HKSAR Chief Executive's Cup Handicap, the David Hayes-trained six-year-old stopped the clock at a scarcely believable 1:06.11, lowering his previous mark by almost a full second as he swept home almost 8-lengths lengths clear of Copartner Prance, with Magic Control another 1.25-lengths away in third. The victory advanced Ka Ying Rising's overall record to 22 wins and two seconds from 24 starts and lifted his earnings beyond HK$160.9 million, while Hayes declared his champion "bigger, stronger and better" as preparations intensified for next month's $20 million Gr1 The Everest at Randwick, reveals racingnews.hkjc.com. His performance was arguably even more striking given that he had spent several hours undergoing veterinary examinations earlier in the week after bruising was detected in a hind leg, with CT and Doppler scans conducted under sedation before the issue was cleared. None of that disruption was evident on raceday. Zac Purton allowed Ka Ying Rising to stride immediately to the front, covering the opening 400 metres in 23.27 seconds before unleashing a devastating 21.15-second sectional between the 800 and 400-metre marks and completing his final 400 metres in 21.69 seconds. Hayes noted that Purton had eased the gelding over the closing stages when winning the corresponding race 12 months earlier but this time allowed him to continue through the line, producing another spectacular revision of the record books. Remarkably, Ka Ying Rising weighed around 532kg, approximately 13kg heavier than when establishing one of his previous course records, further reinforcing Hayes' belief that the son of Shamexpress has physically strengthened with maturity. The sprinter had already ended last season with three successive record-breaking performances, posting 1:19.36 in the Gr1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup over 1400 metres, 1:07.12 in the Gr2 Sprint Cup and 1:07.10 in the Gr1 Chairman's Sprint Prize. His assault on Sha Tin's 1200-metre standard began when he eclipsed Sacred Kingdom's long-standing 1:07.50 mark with 1:07.43 in 2024 before lowering it repeatedly. Less than two hours after Sunday's latest exhibition he entered quarantine for his Australian campaign, with Hayes determined to have him arrive in Sydney slightly fitter and mentally less fresh than when he nevertheless captured The Everest in 2025. The ominous message for his prospective Randwick rivals is that both trainer and jockey believe there is still improvement to come.
In A Pickle Earns Coveted Jericho Berth
Tuesday, 8th September 2026
A gelding bought for just NZ$4,000 at Karaka has earned a guaranteed place in one of Australia's most distinctive staying contests after In A Pickle produced a determined victory in the NZB Airfreight Road to Jericho at New Plymouth. The eight-year-old son of Preferment prevailed in the 3210-metre NZ$40,000 qualifier to secure an automatic berth in the A$300,000 Jericho Cup over 4600 metres at Warrnambool on November 29, although trainer Ralph Manning says a decision on whether the gelding will make the journey across the Tasman remains with his owners. In A Pickle was offered by Wentwood Grange in Book 2 of the 2020 Karaka Yearling Sale and sold for only NZ$4,000 before later changing hands through Gavelhouse.com for NZ$6,250, yet he has now accumulated earnings of NZ$127,315 from 37 starts comprising six wins, three seconds and four thirds, reports nzb.co.nz. Saturday's victory represented a career high. Settled in the second half of the field by Rihaan Goyaram, In A Pickle swept around his rivals approaching the 500-metre mark and quickly established a break of more than three lengths entering the home straight. Slick Chick then emerged as the principal danger with a powerful late run wider out, but In A Pickle refused to surrender and clung on by a short half-head, with another 6½ lengths back to Early Times in third. Manning admitted that the winner can be a difficult horse to manage and is not always an enthusiastic traveller, factors that may influence whether connections pursue the Jericho Cup opportunity, although he praised Goyaram's rapport with the gelding and described the winning ride with characteristic humour after initially fearing the jockey had committed too early. Victory also carries a NZ$5,000 NZB Airfreight credit should the horse travel to Australia. A second New Zealand qualifier will be staged at Riccarton on October 24. Established in its modern form in 2018, the Jericho Cup commemorates the Australian Light Horse and the original 1918 Jericho Cup, which was conducted over three miles through desert sands during the First World War. New Zealand-bred horses have developed a particularly strong record in the Warrnambool event, supplying six of its first eight winners, including High Mode, Ablaze, Count Zero, Nassak Diamond and dual winner Farag in 2024 and 2025. In A Pickle, bred by Peachester Lodge and raced by the Win Or Booze #2 Syndicate, now has the opportunity to add another Kiwi-bred name to that increasingly impressive honour roll.
Timely Gr1 Boost for Darley’s Pinatubo
Tuesday, 8th September 2026
Pinatubo’s growing influence as a young stallion received a significant international endorsement when Saddadd landed the Gr1 Grosser Preis von Baden at Iffezheim in Germany, giving the former unbeaten European Champion 2YO an important top-level breakthrough at an especially opportune time for the Australian market. Trained by Roger Varian and ridden by Jack Mitchell, Saddadd defeated a strong international field after producing a sustained finish over 2400 metres, holding the late challenge of Parachutiste while highly regarded Giavellotto finished further back, with the victory confirming the four-year-old as one of the best middle-distance performers from Pinatubo’s early crops. While Mitchell understandably described himself as “speechless” after securing the first elite success of his riding career, reports racingpost.com, the broader breeding significance lies with Pinatubo, whose profile continues to expand as his progeny demonstrate both class and versatility. A son of Shamardal, Pinatubo was Europe’s outstanding juvenile of 2019, winning all six starts at two, including emphatic victories in the Gr1 National Stakes and Gr1 Dewhurst Stakes, performances that earned him Champion Two-Year-Old honours and a Timeform rating of 134. Darley now stands the shuttler at Kelvinside in New South Wales, and his Australian progeny are beginning to establish their own credentials, with stakes performers already including Voynichese, Zambales, Tales Of Time and Hardanger. Saddadd had previously enhanced his sire’s record when winning the Gr3 Gordon Richards Stakes and had also performed creditably at Group 1 level before his Baden breakthrough, making his latest success an important progression rather than an isolated result. For Australian breeders and buyers, the timing is particularly relevant. Pinatubo’s progeny have already attracted strong commercial support in this hemisphere, with yearlings selling to $700,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale in 2025 and to $600,000 at the same auction in 2026. With another sizeable contingent of his yearlings expected to enter the major Australian sales in the New Year, Saddadd’s victory supplies fresh evidence that the stallion is capable of transmitting elite performance well beyond the precocious juvenile speed for which he himself was renowned. That combination of racecourse credibility, commercial acceptance and an increasingly persuasive international record is precisely the sort of momentum young stallions require, and Saddadd’s Gr1 success in Germany could hardly have arrived at a better time for Pinatubo’s southern hemisphere representatives.
Blueblood Saxifraga Stars at Baden-Baden
Tuesday, 8th September 2026
Meanwhile, still in Germany, Classic ambitions rather than immediate commercial return drove Newsells Park Stud's determination to secure one of the standout yearlings at the BBAG Yearling Sale late last week in Baden-Baden, where Jeremy Brummitt went to €600,000 for a beautifully bred daughter of Sea The Stars whose pedigree offered precisely the blend of class and stamina sought for the operation's racing syndicate. Already named Saxifraga by breeder and vendor Gestüt Ebbesloh, the filly is out of the Gr3-winning Soldier Hollow mare Sconset and is only the mare's second foal, with her first, Santa Catarina, having already advertised the family by winning this season's Gr3 Schwarzgold-Rennen. Brummitt, acting for Newsells Park Racing Syndicate 27, outlasted Suzanne Roberts to secure the bay and made clear afterwards that the acquisition was based on a long-term plan to race fillies capable of Classic success before retiring them to Newsells Park to strengthen future generations of its broodmare band. The agent, who has previously bought high-class performers Tamfana and Lazy Griff at Germany's premier yearling auction, regarded Saxifraga as the catalogue's outstanding fit for that strategy, combining the influence of Sea The Stars with a German Classic family possessing proven middle-distance depth. According to racingpost.com, her dam Sconset was effective at Group level over 1600m and has immediately produced a Group winner by Zarak, encouraging Brummitt to believe the mating with Sea The Stars could supply the additional scope required for an Oaks prospect. The result also carried special significance for Gestüt Ebbesloh during the farm's centenary year. Founded by Richard Kaselowsky in 1926 and now overseen by his granddaughter Ingeborg von Schubert and her son Paul, the operation recorded its highest price for an unraced horse when Saxifraga reached €600,000. Ebbesloh had previously sold another Sea The Stars filly for €500,000 in 2016, with that yearling becoming Listed-placed Enchanting Skies and later producing Gr2 Challenge Stakes winner Beauvatier. Saxifraga descends from Sine Tempore, a Monsun mare acquired from Gestüt Schlenderhan and tracing to an Aga Khan family, while Sconset is currently in foal to German Derby and Prix Niel winner Fantastic Moon, who stands at Ebbesloh. For Newsells Park, however, the attraction extends beyond Saxifraga's own potential racing career: Brummitt's comments made clear that producing future Classic winners through her descendants is every bit as important as what she might accomplish on the racecourse herself, with the €600,000 purchase representing an investment in generations rather than merely one season.
Arc Fancy Daryz Caps Key Aga Khan Treble
Tuesday, 8th September 2026
A dominant display by reigning Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Daryz completed a remarkable ParisLongchamp treble for the Aga Khan Studs on Arc Trials Day, strengthening the impression that Francis-Henri Graffard's stable holds an exceptional hand heading towards Europe's autumn championship races. The four-year-old son of Sea The Stars treated Gr1 Coronation Cup winner Bay City Roller almost as a pacemaker in the Gr2 Qatar Prix Foy over 2400 metres, stalking him comfortably before Mickael Barzalona eased his mount forward inside the final 200 metres and Daryz swept past to score by 1.75-lengths without being fully extended. Graffard described the performance as an ideal Arc trial, explaining that the entire had travelled calmly, enjoyed a suitable lead and still had improvement to come over the four weeks leading into the October showpiece, according to thoroughbreddailynews.com. The trainer was particularly encouraged by Daryz's demeanour after previous behavioural concerns, noting that the colt had also impressed during a public gallop at Deauville and had returned to competition relaxed and professional. The victory lifted his record to eight wins from 11 starts and pushed his earnings beyond €3.5 million, while further embellishing one of the most potent Aga Khan families, with his dam Daryakana herself a Gr1 Hong Kong Vase winner and a daughter of dual Gr1 heroine Daryaba. Earlier on the same card, the Aga Khan colours had already been carried to Group 1 glory by the progressive Caravaggio gelding Erdenali in the Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp. The three-year-old produced a track-record 1:33.01 for the 1600 metres, defeating Gr1 Queen Anne Stakes winner Ten Bob Tony by 1.25-lengths, with odds-on favourite Gstaad another three lengths away in third. Erdenali has now won four of five starts and appears destined for the Breeders' Cup Mile after connections abandoned plans for an intermediate start. Completing the treble was Varandir in the Gr2 Qatar Prix Niel, where the Zarak colt defeated a field containing Irish Derby winner Benvenuto Cellini to register his fourth victory from five appearances. Patiently ridden by Barzalona, Varandir produced a sustained run to defeat Alam by 1.25-lengths and is himself now under consideration for the Arc. For the Aga Khan Studs and Graffard, the afternoon provided a vivid demonstration of both depth and quality: an established Arc champion, an emerging elite miler and a rapidly improving three-year-old middle-distance contender all delivering on the same stage.
Truly Loyal Rewards Peters' Patience
Tuesday, 8th September 2026
Patience with lightly raced four-year-old Truly Loyal is beginning to pay dividends for owner-breeder Bob Peters after the progressive gelding successfully made the transition from maiden company to a stronger metropolitan assignment at Belmont. Rather than sending the son of Shooting To Win to Kalgoorlie for his next appearance, Peters elected to keep him closer to home and chase the greater prizemoney available in Perth, a decision vindicated when Truly Loyal landed Saturday's Morley Growers Market Handicap over 1200 metres. The Peters Investments homebred had broken through in a midweek maiden only 10 days earlier but showed no difficulty handling the quick turnaround or rise to graduation company, with Willie Pike providing a typically accomplished tactical ride in the familiar cerise and white colours, reports tbwa.net.au. Pike positioned Truly Loyal behind Canny Kev while keeping principal danger Mind Field effectively pocketed approaching the home turn, although the winner briefly struck a flat spot before balancing and finishing strongly through the line. Pike believed the moderate tempo had assisted his mount, particularly because Truly Loyal can race keenly, and suggested there remains considerable upside as he gains experience. The gelding has now earned more than $50,000 from two victories during his current preparation, having commenced his career with a fifth behind Solar Chant over 1000 metres at Ascot in April. Peters believes Truly Loyal should ultimately stretch successfully to 1600 metres, an assessment strongly supported by his female family. His dam, the Teofilo mare True Image, is closely connected to Gr1 Kingston Town Classic winner Perfect Reflection and has also produced Ascot winner Truly Supreme, by Trapeze Artist. True Image was subsequently sold to Stuart Ramsey's Hunter Valley-based Turangga Farm at the 2023 Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale. Truly Loyal also represents another successful example of the affinity between Yarradale Stud stallion Shooting To Win and mares by Teofilo, with that cross producing winners at a rate of 60 per cent and also responsible for this year's Belmont juvenile winner Dixie Doo. Shooting To Win, a son of Northern Meteor, stands alongside Gingerbread Man at Yarradale Stud this season at $5,500. Peters Investments still enjoyed success at Kalgoorlie despite Truly Loyal remaining in Perth, with Opportunistic capturing Sunday's $100,000 Coolgardie Cup over 1760 metres. The So You Think gelding, purchased for $200,000 from Lynward Park's draft at the 2023 Perth Magic Millions Yearling Sale, added the feature to previous victories in the LR Raconteur Stakes and LR Belmont Guineas. For Truly Loyal, however, Saturday's performance suggested Peters' decision to resist travelling and continue his education through metropolitan grades could prove particularly astute as distances increase.
