With a full brother to be offered at Inglis Easter, Blitzburg brought up a two-year-old stakes double for Snitzel when winning the Group III Arrowfield Canonbury Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday although the trainer isn’t confident about a Golden Slipper.
Click here to read about $1.3million Snitzel colt Return to Conquer winning his G3 race in NZ.
The Gerald Ryan/Sterling Alexiou trained colt was the most experienced runner going into the race, having had three runs prior for the one win, and flew the gates for Tyler Schiller, going straight to the lead and never in any danger after kicking nicely into the straight.
At the finish he’d beaten Hillier (Zoustar) by 1.2 lengths with Peleus (Pariah) third.
“I’ve been very confident since we came home from Qld with him,” Gerald Ryan said.
“He wasn’t right up there. Wasn’t happy with him.
“Since he’s been home he hasn’t missed a beat. His work Tuesday morning I was really confident.”
The Canonbury is traditionally a race which can highlight a top class youngster going forward however Ryan poured some cold water on Golden Slipper aspirations afterwards.
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uo;I don’t really think he’s a Slipper horse. I think he’s a rung below.
“The Black Opal might be his go. We’ll just pick our races with him. If he’s flying at Slipper time we might head there.”
Blitzburg was a $500,000 Magic Millions purchase from Arrowfield Stud for TFI/Ryan & Alexiou Racing Pty Ltd.
He is the first foal of Japanese import Sierra (Jpn), a placed half-sister to Group III winner Albert Dock and stakes-winner Mona de Oro from US Group I winner Golden Doc A, a sister to another US Group I winner in Unusual Suspect.
Sierra has a yearling colt by Snitzel foaled a colt by The Autumn Sun last year and went to Maurice.
Earlier in the day at Ellerslie, Snitzel’s high class NZ based colt Return To Conquer won his second stakes race in his two start career and will get his chance at Group I level next run.
