Deserved Group One for Booker

Winner of the Group II MRC Guineas Prelude last season and fourth in the Oakleigh Plate last year, four year-old Booker produced the best run of her career when surging home out wide to win the 1100 metre sprint by three-quarters of a length over Lonhro colt Encryption.

Prepared by Matt Ellerton and Simon Zahra, Booker drew wide in gate 14, but was given a great ride by Dean Yendall to produce the best performance of her career.

Matt Ellerton revealed a throat problem had shortened Booker's spring campaign, so he had set the mare for this race first-up.

"We had a chequered spring with her - she had a minor throat problem early in the spring but we've been really plain sailing this prep and she came into this race really well," Ellerton said.

Ellerton will consider a start in the Group I VRC Newmarket Handicap, but is spoiled for choice with Booker, who has a myriad of options going forward.

"She will make her way to Sydney, maybe Brisbane and Adelaide, as there are good races for her everywhere," he said.

Ellerton had previously scored in the Oakleigh Plate with Miss Kournikova (2001) and River Dove (2003) and said Booker compared well physically at least with both those winners.

"She's bigger and stronger than both of them. Miss Kournikova was one of the more talented horses I've ever trained but she just wasn't sound. River Dove won it as a four-year-old and this one's done it as well," he said.

Booker runs for Barry and Midge Griffiths and partners and has the overall record of four wins and five placings from 15 starts with prizemoney in excess of $840,000.

The sixth Group I winner for Woodside Park's Written Tycoon, Booker is the first foal of Noondie, a three-quarter sister by Flying Spur to stakes-winner Tranquility from stakes-winner Creatrix.

Mill Park sold the full brother to Booker at Inglis Premier last year for $600,000 to Bruce Perry Bloodstock and will offer the current yearling from Noondie, a colt by Starspangledbanner at Inglis Premier next week as Lot 348.

Noondie has a weanling colt by Written Tycoon's Golden Slipper winning son Capitalist and is in foal again to Written Tycoon, who covered 160 mares last spring at Woodside Park at a fee of $110,000.