Redzel ready to climb Everest
Redzel was Snitzel's and Australia's leading earner in 2017/18 with $7.5 million prizemoney. (PHOTO: Bronwen Healy)
Triple Crown’s rising superstar Redzel gave a clear signal of his readiness for The Everest with a record-setting victory in Saturday’s $200,000 ATC The Shorts 1100m G2.
Four days after the announcement that Redzel will take up James Harron’s Everest slot, The Shorts unfolded in straightforward fashion. Ball Of Muscle took the lead and Redzel sat comfortably outside him before producing a sub 33-second last 600 metres to score by 1.3 lengths from Ball Of Muscle and Nieta in 1:01.83. That bettered Famous Seamus’ five-year-old record by 0.13 second.
Watch Redzel win the ATC The Shorts G2.
Bred by Lee Fleming, Redzel (ex Millrich by Rubiton) was bought for $120,000 by Triple Crown from Marquee Stud’s draft at the 2014 Magic Millions Sale. Like many of Australia’s best sprinters, the son of Snitzel has developed steadily from promising juvenile to top-flight performer as a four- and five-year-old.
He began his career with Group-placed city success at two, and achieved stakes-winning status at three. Four black type successes last season, including the Doomben 10,000 G1, marked his arrival in elite company, but he has found found a whole new level of excellence this Spring.
The Shorts featured four of the six horses already confirmed for Everest slots and there was plenty to like about the efforts of English (4th), Fell Swoop (6th) and Chautauqua (7th), but with four weeks to go, Redzel is the horse any jockey would love to be on.
Champion jockey Hugh Bowman did the honours this time and plainly put himself up for piloting duty on 14 October. “I would love to be on him in The Everest if Kerrin is not available.” Kerrin McEvoy rode Redzel to victory in the NSW Tatt’s RC Concorde S. G2 on 2 September, but was committed to Hartnell, second in Saturday’s VRC Makybe Diva S. G1.
Redzel has now put together a sequence of four straight Group wins since April’s Hall Mark S. G3, and completed a run of three Group-winning Saturdays for Snitzel. With eight winners of 10 Group & Listed Races inside the new season’s first 50 days, Snitzel is taking no prisoners in his quest for back-to-back Sires’ Premierships.
