Written Tycoon enjoys stakes double on Melbourne Cup undercard
Tuesday’s Flemington meeting also proved a big day for Yulong’s Written Tycoon (Iglesia) who sired a stakes-race double on the card.
Debutant Tycoon Star kicked off the stallion’s good afternoon when he led home a trifecta for Lindsay Park trainers Ben, Will, and JD Hayes in the Maribyrnong Plate (Gr 3, 1000m).
Sent off a $17 chance under Michael Dee, the juvenile colt showed plenty of professionalism to burst through his rivals at the 200-metre marker before finding more under his riders urgings to beat Bacash (Cosmic Force) by a length with the narrowest of margins back to Shining Smile (Spirit Of Boom) in third.
“As soon as I got on him, he was very composed, he was relaxed, he took everything in his stride and he was super professional,” the winning rider said.
“Before the gates opened I knew just in his demeanour that he was going to be running a good race. He travelled nicely in behind them and took a gap and we hit the front quite early and he was good to the line so I was very happy.
“He’s definitely a nice natural colt, he does everything right and I’m sure he’ll just keep progressing in the right direction providing he pulls up well and stays composed as he was today.”
The Hayes family has a long association with the Maribyrnong Plate, with David and Ben scoring in the race alongside former training partner Tom Dabernig with Hard Landing (All Too Hard) in 2019, with Ben and Dabernig following up that win the following year when saddling Finance Tycoon to victory, while the now Hong Kong-based David Hayes won the contest for back-to-back years in 2005 and 2006 and the late Peter Hayes also won the race in 2000.
“It’s the best result we could have asked for. I thought it was a very good effort by our horse,” Ben Hayes said.
“He jumped, he travelled well, and did everything correctly. I was saying before the race, he’s a very professional horse and that’s what he brought today.”
Hayes revealed that the colt would be aimed at prestigious contests such as the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) following Tuesday’s victory.
“If you’re winning this race, you can normally be very competitive in races like the Blue Diamond,” Ben Hayes added.
“[We’ve got] good supporters in Yulong. They’re having a fantastic carnival and I‘m glad we can keep their success going.”
Bred by the Iskander Racing Syndicate, Tycoon Star (2 c Written Tycoon – Miss Iano Equiano) was originally purchased for $350,000 by Yulong Investments when offered by Milburn Creek Thoroughbreds at the 2023 National Weanling Sale, before the being resold to Lindsay Park Racing for $400,000 out of Yulong at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, who stayed in the colt.
He is the first foal out of Group-placed winning mare Miss Iano (Equiano), who was purchased by the Panthalassa Syndicate for $310,000 at May’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. Miss Iano visited Written Tycoon last spring.
Having hit stakes winner number 67 courtesy of Tycoon Star’s Maribyrnong Plate victory, Written Tycoon then sired his 68th individual stakes winner when his son Catoggio took out The Amanda Elliott (Listed, 1400m), leading home a quinella for Rosemont and their partners.
In a day that was full of shocks, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Catoggio continued the trend as he ran out a 0.4-length victor at odds of $41.
Returning to Flemington for the first time since making his debut on the same card last year, where he ran fourth behind Dublin Down (Exceedance) in the 2023 Maribyrnong Plate, Catoggio brought a record of one win from six starts on this step back up to stakes class.
Ridden by Jye McNeil, the three-year-old gelding ranged up to take the lead arriving into the last 300 metres and, having then quickened a couple of lengths clear, held on well from the fast-finishing Bosustow (Blue Point), who, like the winner, is owned by Rosemont and their partners, with a further 1.3 lengths back to Supercilious (Written Tycoon) in third.
Bred by Gerry Harvey, Catoggio was purchased for $460,000 by Rosemont Alliance and Suman Hedge Bloodstock out of the Baramul Stud draft at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Out of the dual Listed-winning Conatus (Danehill) mare Palazzo Pubblico, he is a half-brother to fellow stakes scorer Palazzo Spirit (Spirit Of Boom).
Baramul Stud sold an I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) colt out of Palazzo Pubblico for $750,000 to China Horse Club, Newgate, Go Bloodstock, and Trilogy Racing at this year’s Magic Millions sale, while the mare has produced a filly by So You Think (High Chaparral) this year.
