Set to make her career debut in Saturday’s Trevor Clarke Hcp (1000m) at Flemington, Salaasel represents the crème de la creme for the Emirates Park operation.
Trained by Peter and Paul Snowden, the daughter of Fastnet Rock has performed well enough in two trials in Sydney to be competitive at her first start.
Salaasel is a great-granddaughter of Emirate Park’s foundation mare Show Dancing (Don’t Say Halo).
A half-sister to the Group 1 winners and successful stallions Hurricane Sky and Umatilla, Show Dancing had a hard act to follow in her half-sister Shantha’s Choice. The daughter of Canny Lad left five stakes winners highlighted by the Group1 winners Redoute’s Choice, Manhattan Rain and Platinum Scissors.
Show Dancing did not let the side down, producing the Group 1 VRC Australian Guineas winner and underrated stallion Al Maher and the Group III Fernhill Handicap winner Salameh.
A daughter of Secret Savings (USA), Salameh is the dam of Listed ATC Dulcify Quality Handicap winner Big Time (Danewin).
Just two fillies of Salameh’s eight live foals were fillies.
Salma did not graduate any further than five lacklustre barrier trials for Team Hawkes.
The daughter of Encosta De Lago was quicker out of the blocks as a broodmare.
Her first foal Trojan Harbour (Harbour Watch), was a stakes-winner in South Africa after his purchase by World Wide Bloodstock for $50,000 at the 2016 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
The second live foal is the I Am Invincible filly Salateen. A winner at Gosford and Kembla Grange for the Snowdens, Salateen was sold by Emirates Park to Rosemont Stud for $300,000 at the 2021 National Broodmare Sale and was put back in work with Tony Gollan.
It proved a fruitful exercise with Salateen winning three races at Doomben, highlighted by the Listed Nudgee Hcp and was stakes-placed a further three times, including the Group II Dane Ripper Stakes.
Following Salateen came Salaasel’s year older brother Hilal who made it three from three stakes winners for Salma.
Runner-up in the Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes and Group 1 ATC Champagne Stakes at two, the son of Fastnet Rock has danced every dance this season at three. He won the Group II ATC Stan Fox Stakes and $1 million Bondi Stakes and earned a further Group 1 placing in the Randwick Guineas to bring his prizemoney to nearly $1.3million.
There is plenty to look forward to as Salma has a yearling filly by Not A Single Doubt and a weanling filly by Tassort.
The daughter of Encosta de Lago visited Snitzel last spring.
