Written By spelling ahead of busy autumn

Written By is enjoying a break before his return to Graham Begg’s stable to be prepared for autumn.

Written By is enjoying the green grass in his spelling paddock before he heads back to Grahame Begg’s stable to be prepared for a tilt at the Oakleigh Plate.

Written By was sent for a break after running fourth behind Sunlight in the Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington on November 3, the last race of his three-start spring campaign.

It followed successive victories at Caulfield where he won a three-year-old 1000m-race in late September before taking out the Blue Sapphire Stakes over 1200m on October 17.

Begg plans to to have Written By up and running for the Rubiton Stakes on February 9 over 1100 metres at Caulfield, the same course and distance as the Group One Oakleigh Plate two weeks later.

Written By is unbeaten in four starts at Caulfield including the Blue Diamond Prelude on his way to winning the Group One Blue Diamond Stakes last autumn.

“He’s been in the paddock a bit over a week and hasn’t lifted his head, chewing grass,” Begg said.

“He’ll back in probably the first week of December and we’ll get him ready for the Oakleigh Plate.”

Begg said Written By was gallant in defeat when beaten out of a place at Flemington.

And he is not prepared to say the colt didn’t handle the straight track.

“It was probably the barrier draw the way it worked out,” Begg said.

“She (Sunlight) was drawn outside of him and she got more of a chance to dictate the race.

“When you compare the times of the race last week, the race Santa Ana Lane won (VRC Sprint), it was only marginally quicker.

“I know they’re different days and different conditions, but they still went a good gallop in our race.”