The Blue Diamond might have been run and won in Melbourne, but in Sydney the road to the Golden Slipper is on a fast track and there were three new stakes-winners on Saturday that are all entered for the world’s richest 2YO race.
The $300,000 Group II ATC Skyline Stakes (1200m) produced a quinella for the Chris Waller stable, while race favourite Warwoven faded to be fourth. Snitzel colt Campione D’Italia in the China Horse Club/ Newgate colours edged out his stablemate Central Europe, read about him here.
Campione D’Italia is the 168th stakes-winner for much missed champion sire Snitzel and is the149th for Medaglia D’Oro (USA) as a broodmare sire. He is the first SW for this cross which has had nine winners from 16 starters and two other stakes horse that include his full sister Snitzel Miss, who placed in the G2 Sweet Embrace Stakes at two but clings determinedly to her maiden status.
This colt has a pedigree that literally screams Golden Slipper as both Snitzel and Medaglia D’Oro have left Golden Slippers winners and further back, his pedigree is a lesson in Australian speed.
His grand-dam Military Rose won the G2 ATC Reisling Stakes and Magic Millions 2YO Classic and his third and fourth dams are by Golden Slipper winners Flying Spur and Marauding, who also sired Golden Slipper winners.
His fifth dam is blue hen Summoned, who has spawned a great dynasty of SW’s, so you can see why a Slipper win for this colt would have a lot of people very excited.
The $300,000 Group II ATC Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) was won by the maiden Spicy Miss at her third start, read about the filly here.
Spicy Miss is the 11th SW for Snitzel’s Champion 3YO Trapeze Artist, who had a stakes double on Saturday with The Crimson Pirate winning a Listed race in Perth to bring his overall tally to 12.
Spicy Miss is the first winner from two foals to race out of well bred imported Street Boss mare Sweet Gisel (USA), who comes from a solid US Black Type family focused on speed.
She is the 20th SW for Street Boss as a broodmare sire and what an impact he is having at present in Australia with his star filly Tempted winning her first G1 at Randwick on Saturday in the Surround Stakes following on from G1 success with Tentyris and Pericles a few weeks ago.
Spicy Miss is the third SW with a pedigree that features Street Boss and Snitzel and the other two are G1 winner Pinstriped and SW Sapphire Street, who are both by Street Boss from Snitzel mares.
The $175,000 Listed VRC TAB We’r eOn Stakes (1000m) at Flemington produced a quinella for first season sire Home Affairs with Gin Twist and La Gitana running one-two, read about them here.
Gin Twist is the second SW for I Am Invincible’s champion son Home Affairs and is the second as a broodmare sire for well bred Redoute’s Choice stallion Beneteau, who stood for just two seasons at Arrowfield at a fee of $11,000.
He was one of those bargain priced horses with good credentials given a shot at a commercial stud career and showed serious potential with his stats telling the sad story of what might have been.
Beneteau had 78 winners from 107 starters and they included 10 SWs headed by G1 winners Prompt Response and Lasqueti Spirit – 9.3% SW to runner… what might have been?
Gin Twist’s dam Twist Tops won an RL Inglis Classic and was second in a G2 Magic Night and fourth in the G3 Sweet Embrace, so was a fast and precocious juvenile, but the roots of this family are all NZ staying blood.
Third, fourth and fifth dams are by Sir Tristram (IRE), Balmerino and Battle Waggon (GB), so Gin Twist has an underlying wealth of tough hardy blood to offset the brilliance of Home Affairs.
