A little over two years after she made her debut at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day in 2011, Snitzel’s superstar Arrowfield-bred daughter Snitzerland crowned her career with Group 1 success in today’s $500,000 VRC Black Caviar Lightning S. 1000m G1.
Perhaps the best description of her performance is supplied by Damien Oliver, who rode the runner-up Shamexpress: “”He was cruising, I bided my time and I thought I had Snitzerland 200m out but she found another gear.”
That extra gear is Snitzerland’s special gift, employed with great effect in all of the eight wins – six of them at Group level – that have earned the bulk of her $1.8 million prizemoney.
The 4YO mare left the gates today with the same zest she displayed two seasons ago, and travelled beautifully for Brenton Avdulla who had to amend his race plan soon after the start.
“I was just going to sit off Bernabeu and after they went 200 metres, I couldn’t so I just let her stride. Inside the 600, I just kept letting her improve and improve. At the 300, I was just full of horse and even when I got to the clocktower, she did the rest.”
Snitzerland held off Shamexpress by a half-length with a further length back to the fast-finishing Samaready, and cut out her final 600 metres in 33.52 to compile a winning time of 57.16.
Snitzerland was bred by Arrowfield and offered at the 2011 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale where trainer Gerald Ryan bought her for $125,000 on behalf of Darby Racing which subsequently on-sold her to Neil Werrett & Steve McCann.
Today’s victory was particularly notable for Neil Werrett, best-known as the managing owner of world champion Black Caviar who won the three previous runnings of the Lightning Stakes and was honoured in the name of today’s race.
Snitzerland is the third Group 1 winner for Snitzel (after Shamus Award & Sizzling) and one of his nine stakeswinners this season. The sensational son of Redoute’s Choice leads the current Australian General Sires’ list with prizemoney of more than $6 million.
Snitzerland’s dam Monte Rosa (by 1993 Caulfield Cup winner Fraar) is an unraced member of the wonderful “Tennessee” family and is the dam of five winners from six named foals, including stakes-placed Red Dress Marley (by Hussonet) & city winners Akmal (by Flying Spur) & Deleque (by French Deputy), as well as Snitzerland.
Monte Rosa has a yearling full brother to Snitzerland to be offered as Lot 118 in the Arrowfield draft for April’s Inglis Australian Easter Sale and is again in foal to Snitzel.
Snitzel has 18 yearlings catalogued for next month’s Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale, and 17 lots in the Inglis Australian Easter catalogue.
