Woodside Park Stud received a nice update for the Written Tycoon colt they will be offering at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale when his two-year-old full brother Marnix made an impressive winning career debut over 1250 metres at Geelong on Friday.
The lone lot purchased by Godolphin at the 2019 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, Marnix had just two behind him at the 600 metres but he tracked wide into the race under a double hold by Brad Rawiller. He needed little more than a shake-up to put the race to bed at the 200 metres and was eased down to defeat the Fastnet Rock filly Cloudbreaker by a length and a half with the Foxwedge filly Inkerman Road a further one and three-quarter lengths back in third. 
Rawiller said the son of Written Tycoon had impressed him in a recent trial.
“He was terrific the way he jumped out at Flemington. He has a great attitude,” Rawiller told racing.com.
“It’s always a concern when you draw the outside on these babies, especially with this wind.
“James (Cummings) was terrific and pretty much gave me an open book to ride him how the race turned out. He travelled up nicely and gave me a strong feel before the turn but with his turn of foot he put them away a little too soon.
“He’s got a lot of upside. He was a little bit stubborn loading into the gates, but he has a great attitude for a bull and he is only going to improve.
“It’s great to get a nice one for James and Godolphin, they’re an incredible team and it’s nice to be a part of it.
Stable representative Sean Keogh said Marnix had lived up to what he has been showing at home.
“I was very happy to see the way Brad kept him relaxed through the race and when Brad asked him for a turn of foot, he showed that,” Keogh said.
“He was still a bit green when he hit the front, but he did it nicely.
”We got this horse from the Melbourne Sales so it’s great that we are supporting them.”
Purchased for $210,000 out of the Woodside Park draft at the 2019 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling, Marnix is the second foal of the imported Dutch Art mare Dutch Romance (GB) who was sourced by Belmont Bloodstock Agency out of the Kiltinan Castle Stud draft for 85,000 guineas at the Tattersalls Horse In Training Sale.
A winner at Salisbury from five starts, Dutch Romance (GB) earned black-type when third in the Listed Radley Stakes at Newbury.
Dutch Romance is a sister to the very talented Dutch Connection whose five wins included the Group II Lennox Stakes at Goodwood and a trio of Group III’s and has been placed three times at Group 1 level.
The full brother to Marnix has been catalogued as lot 138 on the opening day of the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, beginning on March 1.
