Blue Diamond Winner Written By Tops 2018 Pago Pago Stakes Field & Odds

Victorian trainer Grahame Begg has surprised the punters with his acceptance into the Pago Pago Stakes 2018 field on Saturday in Sydney for his Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes winner Written By on way to the following weekend’s Golden Slipper.

Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes winner is the hot favourite in Pago Pago Stakes 2018 betting for his surprise Golden Slipper lead-up this weekend at Rosehill. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Originally only down to trial in the rescheduled Randwick hit-outs this Thursday, Written By was scratched from his 1050m open heat in favour of running at Rosehill Gardens on Coolmore Classic Day in the Group 2 $175,000 Pago Pago Stakes (1200m).

Written By was put through his paces on Tuesday morning with a solid gallop on the course proper at Randwick and Saturday’s Group 2 marks the undefeated colt’s first official start in Sydney.

To date the chestnut son of Written Tycoon has won all three of his starts in Melbourne, the latest an impressive two and a half-length romp home at Caulfield on February 24 in the Group 1 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m).

He is one of 14 two-year-old colts and geldings in the Pago Pago Stakes field, a final lead-up to Saturday week’s Group 1 $3.5 million Golden Slipper (1200m) back at Rosehill on March 24.

Written By is already one of the best in pre-field Golden Slipper betting at Ladbrokes.com.au paying $7 as the equal second favourite in markets led by Sunlight.

Sunlight also races on Saturday before backing-up into the Golden Slipper field a week later, Tony McEvoy’s flying filly the odds-on favourite in Magic Night Stakes betting one race before the Pago Pago for the boys.

The Pago Pago Stakes odds are also very short on Written By who is at $2 for the win, just one of his rivals also at single-figures with Spin ($6).

Written by jumps from a favourable barrier four draw with his regular rider Jordan Childs in the saddle again, while the race’s biggest danger Spin is two on his inside drawn gate two.

Ace hoop Kerrin McEvoy rides Peter & Paul Snowden’s I Am Invincible colt Spin on Saturday after guiding him to the very close second behind Santos first-up in the Group 2 Skyline Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.

Spin remains a maiden after three starts, but is improving each time out and chases the Golden Slipper ballot exemption on offer to the Pago Pago Stakes winner.

Team Snowden are also represented in Saturday’s race by the rails-drawn Legislation ($17), the Not A Single Doubt colt racing for the first time since his eighth to Sunlight in the Gold Coast’s Magic Millions 2YO Classic from mid-January.

The early Pago Pago Stakes market mover backed in from $12 to $10 meanwhile is Roosevelt also drawn to get a good run from barrier three with the in-form Tye Angland aboard.

Representing the famous Godolphin stable, the James Cummings-trained Exceed And Excel colt debuted at Warwick Farm on March 7 for an eye-catching win after a gritty on-pace run and gets the chance to go back-to-back in an upset.

Check out the full Pago Pago Stakes 2018 field and betting markets below courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au before locking in your early Golden Slipper tips at a price!