For most of the large crowd, she was the horse they came to see. She would start at the restrictive odds of $1.20 with Australian betting sites and she would win by six lengths.
Those are the bare facts of Well Written’s win in the $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO, but, as impressive as those details are, they only tell half the story of what was, by any standards, a spectacular victory.
5 starts for 5 wins! 🤩
Well Written DOMINATES and extends the winning streak to win the Karaka Millions 3YO at @Ellerslie_Races! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/s8C7PCv61P
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) January 24, 2026
We knew she was good. We now know she is a lot better than good. What we don’t know is where Well Written’s ceiling is … and that makes her all the more an exciting prospect than when she arrived at Ellerslie with an already formidable reputation.
Her Karaka Millions run has launched her into a new orbit.
Watching the race live was mesmerising. Watching the race replay still takes your breath away even though you know what is coming.
Straightening for home, Well Written was in seventh place, racing two off the fence, with horses all around her and with four lengths to make up on the leader He Who Dares.
Taking a slight bump from the horse inside her with 350m left to run, Well Written was not deterred by that inconvenience and she duly unleashed to accelerate into second spot with 250m left to run, still a couple of lengths behind He Who Dares.
And Well Written was only getting warm.
The daughter of Written Tycoon was not only sustaining her run, but she was increasing the tempo, to the degree that when she went past He Who Dares with 150m left to race, it was as if she had been fired by a slingshot into the race and, until the final few strides, there was no let-up from Well Written who could not have gone to the line in a more impressive fashion.
Look at these figures.
Written Tycoon had turned a four-length deficit with the frontrunner He Who Dares at the top of the straight into a six-length victory over He Who Dares who stayed on to fill second place at the line.
That’s a ten-length turnaround over the final 400m dash against a horse who was best of the rest on the day.
And while Well Written was catching and passing He Who Dares, she was also dropping the balance of the field who finished well and truly strung out behind the winner. Third placed La Dorada was close to nine lengths back and the long trail of well beaten horses stretched a long way after that.
It was not surprising the jockey Matt Cartwright, who has been in the saddle in all of Well Written’s starts, said post-race that Well Written is the best horse he has ridden, calling her ‘an absolute weapon’ adding that he thinks ‘she is right up there with Australia’s best.’
There will be a time when that opinion is tested but, for now, the immediate task awaiting Well Written is the NZ$4 million NZB Kiwi, a slot race which will take place at Ellerslie on March 7.
Trainer Stephen Marsh and Well Written have not put a foot wrong since Well Written made her debut on September 20 and forged to a perfect record from five starts, banking NZ$1.4 million along the way.
On the evidence we saw at the Karaka Millions 3YO, it is hard to imagine anything changing in the near future.
