Snitzel rises to a new level of performance
After Snitzel’s record-setting feats in 2017/18, it seemed unlikely that he would find another level of performance this season. Yet that is exactly what he’s doing.
His spectacular work continued last weekend, as a pair of colts took his lifetime record to 70 stakeswinners.
Showtime has defined “knocking on the door of stakes success” after fourths to Pariah and Gunnison, a third to She Will Reign, a second to Doubt I’m Dreaming and a fifth to Royal Symphony. It’s surely a good omen that his breakthrough finally came at his first try over 1600 metres, in the $200,000 MVRC Bill Stutt S. G2 on Friday evening. A start in the $2 million Caulfield Guineas G1 on 14 October now beckons.
Watch Showtime win the MVRC Bill Stutt S. G2.
The Hawkes-trained Showtime (ex Flidais by Timber Country) is a full brother to Group 1 winner Sweet Idea, bred by the partnership of Arrowfield and Katsumi Yoshida’s Northern Farm, and sold for $1.1 million at the 2016 Magic Millions Sale. His breeders remain in his ownership, alongside Alan Jones, Jonathan Munz, Eric Koundouris, JG Moore and Greg & Barbara Ingham.
Flidais has a 2YO Snitzel colt bought for $240,000 by Apollo Ng at Inglis Easter, a yearling full sister and was served again by Snitzel last week.
Snitzel has made a habit of siring the winner and one or both placegetters in black type races. He did it for the third time in a month when Perast led all the way to win Sunday’s $175,000 MRC Caulfield Guineas Prelude 1400m G3 and Summer Passage took the runner-up spot from Kementari.
Watch Perast & Summer Passage quinella the MRC Caulfield Guineas Prelude G3.
Perast was bred by Jonathan Munz’s GSA Bloodstock (he also part-owns the 1000 Guineas Prelude runner-up Shoals), and bought by trainer Paul Perry for $100,000 from the Maluka Thoroughbreds draft at the 2016 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale.
He is the best of four winners out of Listed winner Thousand Veils, and the third stakeswinner bred on the Snitzel/Zabeel cross, after Time For War and Lubiton.
Perast is among 13 stakeswinners from Snitzel’s 2014 crop which has supplied six of his 11 Group & Listed winners since 1 August. That’s easily the best season start of Snitzel’s career.
The champion son of Redoute’s Choice certainly set the bar very high in 2016/17, when he equalled Danehill’s season record of 26 stakeswinners, but two months into 2017/18, his reach already looks capable of exceeding his grasp.
