It was a ‘Super Saturday’ for Snitzel at Randwick with three Group winners highlighted by his juvenile colts Fireball and Campione D’Italia filling the quinella in the Group I ATC Champagne Stakes, so we’re taking a closer look at the much missed Arrowfield legend.
Snitzel won four consecutive Australian Champion Sire titles in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, but in recent years has been relegated to a Top Five position with I Am Invincible, Written Tycoon and Zoustar surging past him, but as we head towards the back end of the season the old boy is back on top and headed for a posthumous title given he passed away in June last year.
He has a $5million buffer over his nearest rival and with 14 stakes-winners is a mile ahead on that score as well, with his success rooted in unwavering consistency rather than a big banger horse or two.
Below is his stud career broken up by crop illustrating a remarkable record going back to those early years with his first seven seasons priced at $33,000 or less.
|
Crop Year (SH) |
Mares Covered / Service Fee |
Stakes-Winners/ Best Performers |
|
2007 |
131 / $33,000 |
3SW’s G2 Chance Bye |
|
2008 |
99 / $33,000 |
6SW’s G1 Hot Snitzel |
|
2009 |
103/ $33,000 |
8 SW’s G1 Snitzerland, Sizzling |
|
2010 |
88/ $22,000 |
7 SW’s G1 Shamus Award, Sweet Idea |
|
2011 |
132/ $27,500 |
9 SW’s G1 Wandjina |
|
2012 |
152/ $27,500 |
10 SW’s G1 Redzel |
|
2013 |
249/ $33,000 |
18 SW’s G1 Russian Revolution. Heavenly Blue (South Africa) |
|
2014 |
226/ $49,500 |
21 SW’s G1 Trapeze Artist, I Am Excited, Invader, Summer Passage |
|
2015 |
214 / $71,500 |
10 SW’s G1 Estijaab |
|
2016 |
213/ $88,000 |
11 SW’s G2 Splintex |
|
2017 |
169/ $110,000 |
6 SW’s G1 Wild Ruler |
|
2018 |
216/ $176,000 |
12 SW’s G1 Baraquiel, Yearning, Sword of State, In the Congo |
|
2019 |
172/ $220,000 |
13 SW’s – G2 Best of Bordeaux |
|
2020 |
141 / $220,000 |
11 SW’s –G1 Shinzo, Transatlantic |
|
2021 |
150/ $165,000 |
11 SW’s- G1 Lady Shenandoah, Switzerland, Lazzura |
|
2022 |
165/ $165,000 |
10 SWs – G1 Marhoona, Return to Conquer |
|
2023 |
168/ $220,000 |
2YOs 4SW’s –G1 Fireball, Campione D’Italia |
|
2024 |
141/ $247,500 |
Yearlings |
|
2025 |
114/ $247,500 |
Weanlings |
Snitzel’s record as a sire of sires is set for an upswing with the colts bred from his best books of mares now starting to make an impression.
Young sires like Wild Ruler and Sword of State have both sired impressive juvenile Group winners from their first crops to race this season, while In the Congo and Best of Bordeaux have had their first yearlings sell this year.
Shinzo will have his first yearlings selling next year and his Coolmore barn mate Switzerland will have first foals this spring, while Return to Conquer will kick off with his first season at Waikato Stud this spring.
Fireball and Campione D’Italia both run for stallion syndicates with the former carrying the James Harron Bloodstock colours and the latter runs for the Newgate / China Horse Club partners.
The big stallion syndicates were all over the Snitzel colts at Magic Millions and Inglis Easter this year securing the following colts.
Magic Millions
$1.5million Embrace Me (NZ) - China Horse Club/Newgate Bloodstock/Clarke Bloodstock
$1.5million Iffranesia (Fr) – Tom Magnier
$1.2million Krone - James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership/Tony Fung
$1.2million Play That Song (NZ) - James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership/Tony Fung
$825,000 Complicit(USA) - James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership/Tony Fung
$775,000 She’s Ideel - China Horse Club/Newgate Bloodstock
Inglis Easter
$2million Ms Bad Behavior (Can) - James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership / Tony Fung Colts / Tom Magnier
