Unbeaten Well Written crowned New Zealand Horse Of The Year

Cover image courtesy of Race Images South

Barely 24 hours after defeating a seasoned field in Saturday’s G1 Proisir Plate, Well Written (Written Tycoon) was crowned New Zealand Horse of the Year for an unbeaten 3-year-old season that carried her from a maiden victory to the top of the country’s racing ranks.

The Stephen Marsh-trained mare also collected Champion 3-Year-Old, while her achievements helped Yulong Investments secure Owner of the Year. Her next assignment could take her across the Tasman, with the G1 Epsom Handicap and $10 million G1 Golden Eagle among the options.

Yet Sunday night was about more than its headline horse. Te Akau’s Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson completed a premiership and Trainer of the Year double, and the breeding industry supplied two of the evening’s most significant honours. The late Savabeel received the NZTR Award for Outstanding Global Achievement, while three generations of Little Avondale Stud’s Williams family were recognised for their contribution to New Zealand racing.

Jockey Craig Grylls claimed both the Jockey Of The Year title and the New Zealand Jockeys’ Premiership yet again, having won 140 races - more than 45 than his nearest rival - across the season, including 11 stakes victories.

A champion story Written well

Debuting last September in a 1200-metre maiden, Well Written next claimed the G2 Soliloquy Stakes before taking out the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas at just her third start. She remained undefeated through six starts as a 3-year-old, adding the G2 Auckland Guineas in December before displaying her true grit to win the the R. Listed Karaka Millions 3YO and R. Listed NZB The Kiwi.

The winner of over NZ$2.6 million last season, she also earned the Champion 3-Year-Old title and aided her trainer Stephen Marsh in receiving a nomination for Trainer Of The Year at the ceremony. On top of the NZ$230,000 first prize purse in the Proisir Plate, she earned a NZ$500,000 bonus for being the first NZB Kiwi runner from last season to win a domestic Group 1 this season.

Marsh pointed to her rapid rise to the top level as proof to him of how high quality she is.

“Doing that in itself is phenomenal,” he said. “Not many horses can start their preparation (at maiden level and rise to Group 1 level).

“She’s always shown plenty, she was probably a bit of an immature filly when we first bought her and she was one of those fillies that just kept getting better and better every time.

“You like those sort of horses. They don’t show you everything on day one (and keep getting better). She’s been a dream. Her 3-year-old campaign was just flawless.”

Well Written carried the colours of Yulong Investments, who bought into her ahead of the Kiwi, when taking out Saturday’s Group 1 to her resume, and she shares a special historical connection with some of the Yulong team.

A $32,500 weanling purchase for Yulong’s Victorian Nominations Manager Harry King and his brother Benji King, she was pinhooked to Marsh and his bloodstock agent Dylan Johnson for NZ$80,000 at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale.

Yulong Investments also received the Owner Of The Year award courtesy of the mare’s achievements.

Well Written is nominated for the G1 Howden Insurance Mile on September 26, although she is likely to cross the Tasman instead to contest the G1 Epsom Handicap on October 3 and the $10 million G1 Golden Eagle on October 31.

Champion 2-Year-Old Lara Antipova helps lift Te Akau

Te Akau Racing’s Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson walked away with three awards on Sunday night when scooping both the Trainer Of The Year award and the New Zealand Trainers’ Premiership. In addition, their unbeaten 2-year-old Lara Antipova (Russian Revolution) was anointed Champion 2-Year-Old for the 2025/26 season.

A debut winner in December by eight lengths, Lara Antipova proved uncatchable again in the G2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes, scoring victory by four and a half lengths.

She returned in February to claim the G2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes and pulled off another trademark speedy performance to take out the G1 Sistema Stakes, which the Te Akau team had also won the year before with now Waikato Stud resident Return To Conquer.

“One always hopes (to win this award), of course,” said Fortuna Racing’s John Galvin, who co-bought the filly with Sir David Ellis CNZM (BAFNZ) at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $100,000 from Vinery Stud.

“When one (horse we buy) becomes a really lovely horse, we celebrate.”

When asked when he realised they had a good horse on their hands, Galvin indicated the filly demonstrated that in her first jump-outs.

“The Te Akau team said, ‘John, we think you’ve got something special here’,” he said. “You never quite know what you have until raceday, but when she won that day by eight lengths, that was a sign she was going places.”

Sent to the Te Akau Cranbourne stable, Lara Antipova was unplaced first up in the G3 Quezette Stakes and next heads to the Listed Michael Moroney on September 12.

First Five honoured as Champion Sprinter-Miler

One of the standout stories of the season was Gerald Shand and family’s homebred First Five (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}), trained by David Greene.

The now 6-year-old really hit his straps last spring, taking out the G3 J Swap Sprint before beating a seasoned top flight field to win the G1 TAB Telegraph on January 3. Returning a month later, he took out the G1 BCD Sprint in a commanding fashion to prove himself a proper weight-for-age horse.

First Five’s family is one that Shand has cultivated for a long time before collecting two Group 1 wins within the span of a month.

“To win a Group 1 with him and to celebrate with the whole team (was special), especially for David and Heidi Greene as it was their first Group 1,” said co-breeder and Shand’s granddaughter Jenna McLeod. “It was a real special moment.”

First Five returned in the G2 Foxbridge Plate and the Proisir Plate this spring, and has his eyes on the Howden as his next target.

The champion mares going the distance

Five-time Group 1 winner Legarto (NZ) (Proisir) was honoured with the Champion Middle Distance Horse title, while the Champion Stayer went to the rising talent in Ohope Wins (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}).

The winner of 12 of her 24 starts for Ken and the late Bev Kelso, Legarto signed off a phenomenal racing career with back to back Group 1 wins in the autumn, taking out first the G1 Herbie Dyke Stakes in February and then the G1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes in March.

She had previously taken out the Herbie Dyke in 2024 and was the winner of her crop’s G1 New Zealand 1000 Thousand Guineas, after which she had crossed the Tasman to win the G1 Australian Guineas.

Ahead of her fifth top flight win, the ownership had elected to offer the now 7-year-old at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale at the culmination of her racing career, and she vindicated their decision - first with that additional Group 1 win and then when selling to the Devil Night Syndicate for $2.8 million.

Ohope Wins made her maiden breakthrough on New Year’s Day, but it was in no ordinary 2000-metre race. She got on the board in the G2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes, then followed it with the G2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic, before justifying her favouritism with victory in the G1 New Zealand Oaks.

Transferred from Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott to continue her career in Australia with Chris Waller, the daughter of Ocean Park (NZ) was fourth in the G1 Vinery Stud Stakes before relishing the return to her preferred 2400 metres when winning the G1 Australian Oaks.

Resuming in the 1400-metre G2 PB Lawrence Stakes, Ohope Wins holds a number of lengthier nominations for the spring carnival, including in the G1 Melbourne Cup, the G1 Cox Plate, and the G1 Caulfield Cup. She has been dual nominated to race this Saturday, including in the G1 Makybe Diva Stakes.

Table: Full list of winners at the 2025/26 New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse Of The Year Awards