Arguably the most exciting winner on Wednesday, the Ciaron Maher trained Written Tycoon mare Tennessee Bound was simply too classy for her rivals at Sandown, pulling clear in the run to the line to score by a widening two and a half lengths to remain unbeaten.
With three from three in her first campaign, the 4yo resumed on June 17 at Caulfield and with apprentice Jabez Johnstone in the saddle, continued her unbeaten run with a length and three-quarter victory over the 1000m.
Stepping up to the 1200m on the heavy 8 rated track on Wednesday, Johnstone continued his association with the mare, jumping away well from barrier 3 before going forward to settle in the lead on the rail.
While she did have 60/1 outsider Royal Lass sitting just off her throughout, the mare kicked into another gear leading into the home straight, and once she passed the 200m mark she was already three lengths clear.
Try as they may, nothing from back in the field was in the same class as the leader and she pulled away to win by two and a half lengths from Phillip Stoke’s Zunna with another length and three quarters back to Mauna Kea Miss in third.
Assistant trainer Jack Turnbull was on course to discuss the effort of the mare and where she might go from here.
“Now that we’ve won this today, we can probably poke up to a BM84, there’s one in two weeks. Or we can wait a month, there’s a standalone meeting at the Caulfield Heath, I believe,” said Turnbull.
“We’ll have a chat to Gerry and go from there.
“For now, I don’t think we need to expose her, but I’ll have a chat to Ciaron. It’s one step at a time… obviously, she’s got the trajectory to be a stakes horse.
“For the next race or two, we would remain in Benchmark Handicap grade.”
If the mare continues to improve, Turnbull indicated that races like the Listed Regal Roller Stakes (1200m) on August 15 at Caulfield and the G3 Cockram Stakes (1200m) on August 29 at the same track could be on the agenda for the progressive 4yo.
A $150,000 Inglis Premier purchase from the Morningside draft for John Foote Bloodstock, Tennessee Bound runs in the silks of Gerry Ryan’s Limerick Lane, and with her fifth race victory all sewn up, the mare took her earnings to $127,875.
She is the first winner from stakes-winning Per Incanto (USA) mare Tennessee (NZ), a half-sister to G1 winner Campionessa (NZ) and stakes-winner Leedox (NZ) from the extended family of G1 winner Dress Circle (NZ).
Tennessee’s weanling colt by Pierata, who was bred and consigned by Bhima, was sold at this year’s Inglis Australian Weanling Sale for $60,000 to Elenara Pastoral, while the mare is due to foal in the spring to Coolmore’s City Of Troy (USA), the four-time G1-winning son of Justify (USA).
The sire of 82 stakes winners highlighted by 18 G1 winners, the Yulong based Written Tycoon has his fee listed as Private for the upcoming breeding season in what will be his 20th season in the breeding barn.
