A Well Written Sign from Across the Tasman

While the Australian autumn build-up is only just starting to take shape, a strong statement was made from across the Tasman by Kiwi filly Well Written, who was one of the big talking points of the weekend. Alongside our regular features, we take a deeper look at her Karaka Millions 3YO win to assess what the performance tells us through the ratings and where she currently sits among the Australian three-year-old ranks.

⚡ Hedged 102.5 - exploded to a new peak rating, more than two lengths above his best of the past two years at 97.8 and clearly beyond his prior career peak of 98.5 as a three-year-old. Such performance spikes always warrant closer scrutiny, but there is no disputing the substance of the run. He ran 67.58 seconds for the 1200m, smashing the Pakenham track record and still running above standard over the final 600m. Even after adjusting for conditions on the night, this was a sizzling run, backed up by decisive margins behind him. He put two lengths on Veight, who rated 97.9, with War Machine another 1.5 lengths away in 3rd on 94.5, well below his peaks of 102.5 and 100.5 and confirming a disappointing effort from him.

This spike from Hedged came seven runs into his preparation for new trainer Gavin Bedggood, ex Price and Kent Jnr. The obvious question is whether this was a one-off outlier or something he can get close to again. Experience with these types of sudden jumps makes caution my default position, but there are some grounds for optimism. While his recent form has included mixed efforts, he has run close to his previous best far more often under Bedggood than earlier in his career, recording ratings of 97.8, 97.7 and 97.5 in three of the six runs leading into this peak. That profile suggests an improved horse, so there is a reasonable chance his best runs in the future can remain above his old ceiling, even if he does not quite reach 102.5 again.

🎯 Regal Zeus 97.5 - Won the Listed John Dillon Stakes over 1400m at Caulfield, a slight improvement on his previous peak of 97 from earlier in the preparation. Rider Jamie Mott made full use of the inside draw, controlling the race from the front, setting a genuine early tempo before lifting again from the 600m, which immediately put pressure on those chasing. That sustained speed left Regal Zeus feeling the pinch late, but he had enough in hand to hold off the closers. He's racing in career-best form as a five-year-old, with his three best ratings (97.5, 97 and 96) all coming within his last four starts.

💫 Way To The Stars 96.7 - Raced up on the pace with the other two speedsters, Midwest and Beast Mode, and while they both weakened to be well beaten, he kept finding to score comfortably by 0.8 lengths. His 96.7 rating is a clear improvement on his previous best of 94.5, which he ran in a 1000m win at Flemington last spring. A step up to 1100m remains a query, particularly if there is genuine pressure, but off two solid runs this preparation and a new career peak on Saturday, there is no better time for him to have another crack at the trip.

🙌 Sandpaper 96.6 - With Whinchat scratched, he had little trouble finding the front, with Nash Rawiller controlling the race at an even tempo. He looked vulnerable at several points in the straight but proved resilient, finding enough late to hold off the chasers. That's the second-best performance of his career, behind the 98 rating he ran two starts earlier.

📈 Anemacore 96.0 - He might be a six-year-old, but has returned a better horse this preparation. It began in October 2025 with a 92.5 peak win over 1350m at Doomben, followed by a 95.7 effort off a six-week break over 1300m at Eagle Farm, and now a 96 to win the Listed Sunshine Coast Cup over 1400m after another five-week gap. He is obviously thriving with his runs well spaced.

*Ratings are normalised to weight-for-age for each horse.

Well Written drew significant attention following her dominant win in the Karaka Millions 3YO race at Ellerslie on Saturday, with the performance prompting widespread discussion about just how good she might be.

She ran a 103.3 WFA Performance Rating 📊 to win, an elite figure that aligned with the visual impression and clearly her best so far.

It was not just the number, but how she ran it. She accelerated sharply off the back of an already strong tempo, a trait we only see among the genuinely elite.

Her broader profile reinforces that view. She now has peak ratings of 99.5, 100.5, and 103.3 across five starts for five wins. Saturday confirmed she is still on an upward trajectory.

Some context matters...

Since the start of the 2017/18 season, only one 3YO in New Zealand has rated higher. Imperatriz ran 103.5 when winning the G1 NZ Thoroughbred Breeders over 1600m, having already produced a 102 two starts earlier over 1400m. At this stage, she is the most natural point of comparison for Well Written.

Looking across to Australia only reinforces her standing.

Among 3YO fillies, Tempted leads the figures with ratings of 104 and 103.6, but both were over 1200m. Once you move into the 1400-1600m range, the benchmark drops sharply. The best-rated filly is Sheza Alibi at 100.5, winning the Sandown Guineas. Even among the Colts at those distances, the list is thin. Beiwacht’s 108 Golden Rose sits as a clear outlier, after which you are back around the 100 mark with Sheza Alibi and Autumn Boy at 100.4.

On the numbers, the hype around Well Written is well and truly justified.

Check out a replay of her win HERE

Sunsets produced an encouraging performance at Caulfield on Saturday for new owners under the Mailbag Bloodstock banner, one that suggested he is building toward something better.

Having just his second start for Team Hayes following his move from the Busuttin and Young stable, he was poorly suited settling back off a slow tempo over 1600m. Despite the race shape working against him, he finished strongly from the 800m, recording +9.4 lengths above the TopRate standard for his final 800m, the best closing figure of the entire meeting.

He ran a 90.5 WFA Performance Rating 📊, a figure that undersells the run given the tempo and positioning. Off the back of a solid first-up effort over 1500m, this run suggests he has continued to move in the right direction since the stable change, even if he is not yet back to his best.

That context is important when viewed against his earlier profile. As a three-year-old in the spring of 2023, Sunsets ran a 99.4 WFA Performance Rating 📊 when finishing third in the Group 1 Victoria Derby over 2500m, just 1.1 lengths behind Riff Rocket.

While he may not reach that career peak again, he clearly profiles as a horse with upside potential as he gets fitter and over more ground. A return to the winners’ list may not be far away.

Silent Witness set a standard for sprinting dominance in Hong Kong that few thought would ever be matched. Ka Ying Rising has now drawn level with his 17 straight wins. In that spirit, this week’s brain teasers look closer to home, testing your knowledge of some of Australian racing’s most famous winning streaks.

How many consecutive races did each of the following champions win during their careers?

*Answers at the bottom

➡ Rosehill Gardens | Group 3 CANONBURY STAKES 1100M
➡ Rosehill Gardens | Group 3 SOUTHERN CROSS STAKES 1200M
➡ Rosehill Gardens | Group 3 WIDDEN STAKES 1100M
➡ Morphettville | Listed Durbridge Stakes 1100M
➡ Caulfield | Group 3 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes 1200M
➡ Caulfield | Group 3 Chairman's Stakes 1000M

➡ Bunbury | Listed WESTERN AUSTRALIAN BREEDERS' CLASSIC 1200M