Cover image courtesy of Gosford Race Club
Young Vinnie filly pulls scintillating win on debut
I Am Invincible juvenile Scintillation started her race career in style for John O’Shea and Tom Charlton in Gosford’s opener on Wednesday. The 2-year-old filly was lining up against a field of 3-year-olds and just one other juvenile in Jalfreezi (Too Darn Hot {GB}), and proved herself all class to pull off victory.
Sent out the favourite after a trial where she closed strongly behind R. Listed Inglis 2YO Banner winner Calamari Ring (Street Boss {USA}), Scintillation was quick to hit the front with Perfect Force (Lonhro) chasing her heels.
The filly never looked back, though, and only needed a little urging from Zac Lloyd at the top of the straight to stride further ahead, being Perfect Force by just shy of a length, with Tigletta (Capitalist) closing strongly for third.
“She’s got great gate speed,” said a stable representative. “It allowed her to roll forward and get into a good position, and then she has a lovely turn of foot.
“She came in very professional, she was ready to win today. Her trackwork rider and strapper Ellie have been very complimentary of her, and so have John and Tom. They found a lovely race for her today to get on the board. Thank you for Anthony Mithen and Rosemont Stud for a lovely horse.”
It’s been a good season for Rosemont Stud graduates, especially amongst the juvenile ranks; the stud bred and sold the talented Tornado Valley (Too Darn Hot {GB}), as well as Listed Maribyrnong Trial-placed One Day At A Time (Bivouac) and G3 Maribyrnong Plate fourth Carnevale (Pinatubo {Ire}). O’Shea and Charlton train a number of their juveniles including smart trial winner Peyton (Zoustar) and Mailman (I Am Invincible), the first foal of G1 Coolmore Classic winner Krone (Eurozone).
It was also a particularly good day for Yarraman Park Stud's I Am Invincible as it kicked off a five winner streak for Wednesday afternoon.
Sales: Scintillation was retained to race by breeder Rosemont Stud after passing in at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Scintillation as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Pedigree: Sharing her third dam with the likes of Reward For Effort, Overreach (Snitzel), and Standout, Scintillation is the first foal out of triple Group 3 winner Minhaaj (Exceed And Excel), whose dam Telaawa (Lonhro) is a half-sister to the Group 3 winners Charmed Harmony (Hussonet {USA}) and Suyoof (Magic Albert).
Widden Stud will offer Minhaaj’s Zoustar filly as Lot 430 at this year’s Inglis Easter sale on behalf of Rosemont. Minhaaj also produced a Wootton Bassett (GB) colt in the spring before visiting Harry Angel (Ire).
Class trumps experience as Written In Wrath triumphs on debut
Tulloch Lodge-trained 3-year-old Written In Wrath (Written By) might have been the only debutant in the final four-horse field in the Super Maiden that was second on Gosford’s Wednesday card, but he demonstrated emphatically that sometimes you just cannot be a class individual.
Punters certainly recognised the gelding’s class when backing him into ante-post favouritism, having clearly paid attention to his last trial where he tore away from his rivals to beat them by four and three quarter lengths. Behind him in second that day was High Alert (Street Boss {USA}) who subsequently ran fourth by just under a length in the Listed Blue Diamond Preview (colts & geldings).
Video: Watch Written In Wrath at Gosford, video courtesy of Racing NSW
It was a similarly strong run from Written In Wrath on Wednesday when jumping from barrier four and sitting to the outside of early leader Declan (Brave Smash {Jpn}). Jockey Regan Bayliss made his play just before straightening to push the gelding forward a little, before unleashing his swift turn of foot to put his rivals to bed by a solid length and a half.
Both Declan and third placegetter Sphere (Bivouac) - a three-quarter-sister to Cylinder - had narrowly missed winning in their starts prior to Wednesday and were relegated to the placings once again.
“That probably wasn’t Gai or Adrian’s plan,” said stable representative Neil Paine of Bayliss’s wide run. “They would have liked for him to have gone along and crossed to the fence, but it’s always hard on debut. This horse was a first starter today and the other horses have already run - and run places in the city.
Connections of Written In Wrath after winning at Gosford | Image courtesy of Gosford Race Club
“It’s easy to say ‘he’s $1.60, he should be winning’, but they actually have to come out and do it. So it was very good to see him do that and look professional. I am not sure what Regan is thinking, but I know Gai and Adrian think he will get better as he gets a bit further.”
“It was very good to see him (Written In Wrath) do that and look professional.” - Neil Paine
Bayliss concurred, saying, “I am looking forward to getting him up to six furlongs and even eventually seven furlongs, I think you will see a handy horse.”
The gelding had meant to have his debut at last week’s Warwick Farm meet but was a late scratching after becoming fractious in the barriers.
Regan Bayliss | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“I think he’s a really nice horse,” Bayliss said. “Prior to the other day at Warwick Farm when he got himself scratched, he just got himself worked up. Today he was a true professional, didn’t turn a hair, did everything right and I could settle him just outside the leader. I think he might have been better off in front going that little bit quicker but he was still able to get the job done, and he executed really well.”
Sales: Offered by Widden Stud at the Inglis Easter sale, Written In Wrath was a $330,000 purchase for Nine 9 Park.
Pedigree: Written In Wrath is the seventh foal to race from four-time winner Tigress Lily (Snitzel), all of whom have been winners - chief among them being multiple Group winner Daisies (Sebring) and Listed Carrington Stakes winner Zou Tiger (Zoustar), who also ran third in the G1 Golden Rose Stakes and the G1 Randwick Guineas.
Written By Wrath as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Tigress Lily is also the dam of stakes performers Soft Love (Pierata) and Motown Lil (Sebring), the latter of whom is the dam of Listed-performed Marsept (Written Tycoon). She is a granddaughter of New Zealand Horse of the Year and Champion 3YO Tycoon Lil (Last Tycoon {Ire}).
Empress Lily delivered her final foal, a colt by Zousain, in 2025.
Blueblooded Battuta salutes at start eight
When Tangier (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}), a winning half-sister to Astern and Alizee (Sepoy), was offered by Godolphin at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Yearling Sale in 2022, she was knocked down to Avenue Bloodstock and Tom Magnier for the healthy price of $1.3 million. Part of that speculation had to be on her positive pregnancy to I Am Invincible, who earned the first of three Champion Sire titles that season - and on Wednesday, that first foal was a winner at Doomben.
Video: Watch Battuta at Doomben, video courtesy of Racing QLD
Battuta (I Am Invincible), in the care of Chris Waller, may have taken a little time to come to hand - debuting once as a late 2-year-old before returning in November - but the 3-year-old gelding has started to put it all together, and secured his sire an interstate metropolitan double with his victory in Doomben’s second event.
Running down Weekend Spirit (Spirit Of Boom), the gelding was victorious at his eighth start by a long neck, with Rusty Tycoon (Brutal {NZ}) in third, over a length and a half further back.
Sales: Offered at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale by Coolmore Stud, Battuta was a $350,000 purchase for Waller Racing and Mulcaster Bloodstock, who also purchased his three-quarter-sister Consulate (Home Affairs) at last year’s Easter sale for $300,000 in conjunction with ARJB Racing.
Battuta as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Pedigree: Battuta’s dam Tangier is a daughter of Darley’s wonderful blue hen Essaouira (Exceed And Excel), also the dam of Tassort amongst three further stakes performers. Tangier visited Justify (USA) in the States in 2024 and returned to deliver a filly by him in 2025, before visiting Coolmore first season sire Switzerland.
A mighty five for I Am Invincible
The celebrations continued for I Am Invincible down in Victoria at Sale, where two of his offspring delivered a double not only for him, but for trainer Ciaron Maher.
First Fifteen, a $500,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast graduate for Emirates Park, broke her maiden for Ciaron Maher by a length and a quarter. Having her third start, the 3-year-old filly is out of a half or full sister to four stakes winners including three-time Group 1 winner Incentivise (Shamus Award) and Ardrossan.
She had been purchased by Ciaron Maher Bloodstock for an ownership group including Merricks Station and A R E Investments, the latter of whom was also in the ownership of the second half of the Sale double, Tower Bridge.
A 3-year-old colt who recently joined the Maher stable, Tower Bridge made short work of his rivals to win by half a length over the older Commands Success (Squamosa), recording his second victory in four starts. A full brother to G2 Angus Armanasco Stakes winner Shuffle Dancer, Tower Bridge was a $1.3 million purchase for David Ellis CNZM (BAFNZ) and Tom Magnier at the Gold Coast, where he was offered by Yarraman Park Stud.
A fifth I Am Invincible blueblood struck across the Tasman at Te Aroha, where 4-year-old Sister Cynane took out the NZB Mega Maiden event that was third on the card. Traine by Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott for Hermitage Thoroughbreds, she was a dominant winner by a length and a half.
The mare is only of only two daughters out of G1 Tattersall's Tiara victress Prompt Response (Beneteau) along with unbeaten 3-year-old Plaintiff (Zoustar), and was a $1.3 million Inglis Easter purchase for Wexford Stables from the draft of Widden Stud.
