Highview Stud stallion Wrote continues to show his versatility with a pair of notable winners in Hong Kong this week.
The sire of Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) winner Pulchritudinous was represented by impressive three-year-old debutant Fast Network, who won the Class 4 Chai Wai Road Handicap (1000m) at Sha Tin last Saturday for Dennis Yip.
The gelding was the well supported favourite on the strength of strong trial performances and his easy length and a half victory came as no surprise to his trainer.
“He trialled very good and also in New Zealand, his trial was very good. I was watching the trial and I thought ‘we must buy this horse’. He’s done the job. Hopefully he will keep improving and I think for the future, later he will stay longer. Right now, he’s just learning,” Yip said.
Wrote was also represented by a winner at Happy Valley on Wednesday via the Tony Cruz-trained Flying Wrote. After two encouraging runs to start his career, three-year-old Flying Wrote broke through when he led all the way to fight off Travel Golf by a neck in the Class 4 Dianthus Handicap (1200m).
“He has had six runners for five individual winners in Hong Kong,” Highview Stud’s Brent Gillovic said.
“Fast Network had his first trip to the races and was impressive winning with his ears pricked and last night Flying Wrote had his third start after a couple of promising efforts and led all the way over 1200m.
“Chill Chibi has won four races for Danny Shum and came from a mile back to run fourth in the Derby and I thought his effort to come from last to run fifth in a stop-start Class 2 last night was full of merit. He is a highly promising horse and was having his first run back since the Derby.”
Photo: HKRW
A Group One winning son of High Chaparral, Wrote will stand for $8,000+GST this season.
“They are on fire in Hong Kong. In fact they are on fire everywhere,” Gillovic said. “He has had a great season including an Oaks winner in Pulchritudinous and Wrote To Arataki won the Tristarc (Gr.2, 1400m).
“He is the best value stallion in New Zealand. He is a serious upgrader and what a job he has done.
“You only have to look at his sale results to see that the market is very fond of his stock. His yearlings averaged $71,000 in Book 2 at Karaka this year off a $5,000 service fee and they sold up to $290,000 at last year’s Ready To Run Sale.
“Anybody who is sitting on a Wrote can be very chirpy, put it that way.”
Gillovic said he had enjoyed good enquiries from breeders keen to utilise Wrote, whose highlight victory came in the Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (1600m).
“The response from breeders has been very positive and he will cover a lot more mares than last year, where he had a little bit of a lull,” Gillovic said. He was going through a bit of a quiet patch like all stallions, but man alive since mid-November last year until now he has been on a roll.”
The master of Highview is not surprised to see Wrote’s stock excel in the melting-pot of Hong Kong in addition to Australia and New Zealand.
“They are nice horses full stop. They’re good looking, correct with great temperaments and they have a bit of speed,” he said.
“For a son of High Chaparral he certainly leaves horses that can get along a bit. They are versatile. Some sprint, some stay. It probably comes down to the mare to be fair.”