Snitzel isn’t a three-time Champion Sire of 2YOs for nothing and proved it once again with a sensational trans-Tasman Group double on Saturday.
He now boasts 42 juvenile stakeswinners among his lifetime tally of 107 stakeswinners.
First-up was Te Akau Racing’s colt Sword Of State who streeted his rivals – including the Karaka Million winner On The Bubbles – in the $100,000 Matamata Slipper 1200m G3, winning by 6.5 lengths in a sizzling 1:08.78.
Trainer Jamie Richards said, “He won well and like the good horse he is. He jumped nicely, travelled really well and railed beautifully.”
Although nominated for the Golden Slipper, Sword Of State’s prizemoney from three wins isn’t enough to secure a start, so he will now head to the $200,000 Ellerslie Sires’ Produce S. G1 on 13 March.
Bred by Sir Owen Glenn’s Go Bloodstock, Sword Of State is the first foal of juvenile winner In The Vanguard (by Encosta de Lago) whose Group 2 placing was achieved in Scarlet Rain’s 2016 Sweet Embrace Stakes.
The strongly made colt was bought by Te Akau’s David Ellis from the Magic Millions draft of Newgate Farm for $600,000, a figure that placed him among the dozen top-priced Snitzel yearlings of 2020.
Less than three hours after the New Zealand race, Snitzel’s daughter Four Moves Ahead took charge of the $200,000 ATC Sweet Embrace S. 1200m G2 at the 300-metre mark and held out She’s All Class and Arrowfield filly Mallory.
Trainer John Sargent was relieved to see the striking chestnut filly take a firm step towards the 2021 Golden Slipper after a minor injury caused her to miss last weekend’s Silver Slipper.
“She can go to the beach tomorrow and just have a few easy days, and two weeks out we’ll start cranking her up again. What she did today was very impressive and I know there’s improvement.”
Bred & raced by Jonathan Munz, Four Moves Ahead and her Group 3-winning sister Emeralds are the first foals of the unraced Aga Khan mare Doulmera (by Mr Greeley), from the celebrated family of European Horses of the Year Daylami & Dalakhani.
Doulmera was bought by Dean Hawthorne for €180,000 at the 2014 Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale.
Snitzel has three yearlings in the Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale which begins tomorrow, and 45 lots catalogued for the Inglis Easter Sale among them 8 colts and 8 fillies in the Arrowfield consignment.