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Turfling
Australasia
Thursday 1 October 2026
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The lead
Well Written arrives in Sydney unbeaten and ready for the Epsom
Well Written flew into Sydney late on Tuesday night, unbeaten and set for Saturday’s A$1.5 million Group 1 TAB Epsom Handicap over 1600 metres at Royal Randwick. Stephen Marsh said the four-year-old mare left his Cambridge stable about 4pm and arrived just after 10pm, walking off the float without a sweat mark on her. Zac Lloyd rides from barrier three, seeking her eighth straight win (Breednet, LOVERACING.NZ).
Marsh has her cantering rather than working, and says she is ready. Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott are hosting the New Zealand pair at Randwick, and have last start Group 3 Cameron Handicap winner Fully Lit in the Epsom themselves. If Saturday goes well, Well Written returns to Randwick for the A$10 million Golden Eagle over 1500 metres on 31 October (LOVERACING.NZ, Breednet). Key runners only. Full Epsom fields and barrier positions are Racing Australia content and are not reproduced here.
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Things to know today
| 1 |
Aroused won on debut at Ballarat by three lengths, eased down, the Snitzel filly running 0:58.01 over 1000 metres on a Good 4 for Grahame Begg and Jordan Childs in John Camilleri’s Fairway Thoroughbreds colours. She cost $700,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale from Milburn Creek, bought by James Harron Bloodstock, and is the third winner from four foals to race out of the Group 3 winning Written Tycoon mare Sexy Eyes. Stable representative Rohan Hughes called her a “beautiful filly, obviously well-bred and an expensive yearling” with “a great brain and good ability” (Breednet) |
| 2 |
Barracks led all the way in a 1200 metre maiden at Rosehill to give Home Affairs a quinella, holding Affari by three quarters of a length in 1:09.66 on a Good 4. The Ciaron Maher colt, a $420,000 Magic Millions buy from the Cressfield draft, is the fifth winner from six foals out of the Group 2 winning sprinter Wild Rain. Nash Rawiller said he “pricked his ears and used his high cruising speed and kicked well”, while stable representative Johann Gerard-Dubord said the colt “definitely has Black Type ability, but he is a long way off being at his best” (Breednet) |
| 3 |
Racing NSW and Equestrian Australia have signed a five year partnership on thoroughbred life after racing, covering career pathways into eventing, dressage and showjumping, continued support for Equimillion under Equestrian Australia rules, a jointly developed horse registration and traceability platform, and a digital education hub for riders and owners. Acting chief executive Graeme Hinton said the commitment to welfare “doesn’t stop when a horse finishes its racing career”. Equestrian Australia chief executive Ben Houston pointed to “a natural connection between the racing and equestrian communities” (Breednet) |
| 4 |
Caulfield hosts 105 horses across 14 spring trials on the Heath this morning, with the Group 1 winners Jigsaw and Streisand meeting over 800 metres at 7.15am before intended starts in the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes over 1100 metres on 10 October. Jigsaw has not raced since winning the $5 million Quokka at Ascot in April. A ten horse juvenile heat at 9.15am includes the Home Affairs colts Stone Nova and Stone Skyrider, bought for $200,000 and $170,000 for Ben, Will and JD Hayes, and the Castelvecchio colt Act Up at $240,000 (Breednet) |
| 5 |
Magic Millions cleared more than 75 per cent across all categories at its digital sale, which ran from 25 to 30 September, with racing stock the strongest part of the book. The four-year-old mare Overshadow, a winner and a midweek city placegetter from only seven starts, brought $47,500 from Harding Stable after bidding out of four states. The six-year-old city winner Tuff Tu Mus took 41 bids before Dean Williams Racing secured him for $32,500 from the Lindsay Park Racing draft (Breednet) |
| 6 |
So You Think was the only stallion with more than one winner across Australasia on Wednesday, taking three, with I Am Invincible next on two. Breednet’s list for the day ran across six meetings in Australia and New Zealand, two of the sires on it still in their second season (Breednet) |
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International
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Ireland
Godolphin spends past two million euros on Modern Games at Goffs
Anthony Stroud bought two first crop yearlings by Modern Games for Godolphin inside half an hour on the second day of the Goffs Orby Book 1 sale, a €1,300,000 filly out of Belicious from Churchtown House Stud and a €750,000 colt out of Alwilda from Baroda Stud. The filly is a half sister to the Group 1 winning juvenile Senorita Bonita. Stroud observed that “in the 1980s we were bidding against Coolmore and in 2026 we still are”. Modern Games, a five time Group 1 winner by Dubawi whose first foals are yearlings, stands at Dalham Hall for £27,500. An Australian bred mare featured on the same day, the Coolmore Australia bred Fastnet Rock mare Dawn Wall, a $1.3 million Inglis Easter yearling who won the Group 3 Keith Nolan Classic for Chris Waller and went to stud in Europe in 2018. Her Justify colt, a half brother to the Group 3 placed Albula, made €420,000 to AC Elliott from Marlhill House Stud (Breednet)
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Europe
Curracloe gives Baaeed a first stakes winner at the Curragh
Curracloe won the Group 3 Darley Fillies Stakes over seven furlongs at the Curragh by nearly three lengths, a first stakes winner for Baaeed and a second win from two starts for the Johnny Murtagh trained filly, ridden by Ben Coen for Qatar Racing. She cost 240,000 guineas at Tattersalls October Book 2, bought by David Redvers Bloodstock, and is the first winner out of the Group 1 placed Artie Schiller mare Sassy Little Lila. Murtagh said what she did first time out “was kind of special” and that he hopes she grows into a “really, really nice, exciting three-year-old”. Baaeed, a six time Group 1 winner by Sea The Stars, stands at Shadwell for £55,000 and has six winners from 24 starters. Six of his southern hemisphere time juveniles are in Australia, all bred by Yulong, among them the $300,000 Magic Millions filly Red Tape Lady, trained by Chris and Corey Munce (Breednet)
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The week ahead
| 3 October |
Group 1 Epsom Handicap day at Royal Randwick |
| 17 October |
The Everest at Royal Randwick |
| 31 October |
The Golden Eagle at Royal Randwick |
| 7 November |
New Zealand 1000 Guineas at Riccarton Park |
| 14 November |
New Zealand 2000 Guineas at Riccarton Park |
| 18 and 19 November |
New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale at Karaka |
| 1 December |
Graeme Hinton becomes chief executive of Racing NSW |
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This week
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Reported from official race-day materials, racecourse and regulator publications, and sales results, verified against trade press. Where a fact originates elsewhere, we say so. Drafted with AI assistance. Picks are percentages, never odds. Not affiliated with any track, tote board, regulator or wagering product.
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