Highview resident Wrote has penned a timely new chapter in his fledgling stallion career with a first success in Australia.
With the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale just around the corner, his quaintly named daughter Bing Bang Boom drew further attention to the son of High Chaparral’s progeny with her dashing maiden success at Kilmore on Thursday.
The three-year-old was stepping out for just the second time for Cranbourne trainer Wendy Kelly and sailed home over 1600m to the delight of Highview’s Brent Gillovic, who initially sold the filly to trainer Jim Collett at Karaka for $18,000.
“She was bred by a pal of mine, Simon Rushbridge, who lives just down the road. He’s been in and around the game for a long, long time,” Gillovic said.
Wrote won three races, including an edition of the Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Stakes (1600m), and from a handful of representatives has also produced the New Zealand winners Love Letter, also third in the Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m), And We Danced and Notes.
“Like all High Chaparrals, they will get better as they get older and over a bit of a trip. I thought his first Australian winner would be And We Danced, who has acquitted herself well in Sydney,” Gillovic said.
She was trained by part-owner Bill Thurlow and won on debut at Hastings before she finished runner-up behind subsequent dual stakes winner White Noise.
And We Danced was then a creditable sixth in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) in her third outing before she was sent to champion trainer Chris Waller.
“She has run two very good seconds in Sydney against older horses. I spoke to Bill and they have tipped her out now,” Gillovic said. “I trained the mother Simply Boogie and she was a hugely talented filly, but she was absolutely nuts.
“Love Letter is heading for the New Zealand Oaks (Gr.1 2400m) and Notes ran into the good filly La Crique when he was second in his first start. He then won at Pukekohe and has been sold and is with Lindsey Smith in Melbourne.
“Best Seller ran fourth in the Wakefield Challenge Stakes (Gr.2, 1100m) behind Wolverine and obviously a filly with a fair amount of talent.”
Gillovic is therefore satisfied with the impact Wrote has made and believes the best is yet to come.
“There’s enough happening out there so I’m happy enough and I’ll be a lot happier when he has a stakes winner or two and I’m sure that will happen,” he said.
“It’s probably been a bit of a learning curve for me as I’ve always stood stallions, Johar aside, that have been speed horses and with this sort of horse you have to wait.
“He’s by High Chaparral and over New Zealand mares they will take a bit of time, there’s no getting away from that.
“He’s covered a lot better mares in his second term and thereafter and I think you will see a few pop up as two-year-olds in the autumn and may not take as long as the first crop, but time will tell.”
Gillovic will offer 14 youngsters by Wrote during the Book 2 session at Karaka on March 10-12.
“They are a very even line of yearlings this year and we sold a Wrote out of a mare called Told You So last year for $80,000 and his brother is a good sort,” Gillovic said.
He will be presented as Lot 654 and Told You So is an unraced daughter of Stravinsky and the Gr.3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m) winner So Lets and the family of former champion juvenile and sire Keeninsky.
Gillovic also has high hopes for Lot 706, a colt out of the Magic Albert mare Alberta, whose only foal to race is the six-time winner Thunder. The second dam Fiorenza won the Listed Counties Bowl (1100m) and the pedigree page boasts Australian Group One winners Carry On Cutie and The Mission.
Highview’s consignment also features Lot 736, a half-brother to Wrote’s latest winner Bing Bang Boom. He is by Frankel’s Group Two-winning son Eminent out of a half-sister to the Rushbridge-bred and raced Gr.3 Concorde Handicap (1200m) winner Statham.