Fairytale finish for Spill The Beans
Snitzel’s crackerjack son Spill The Beans signed off on his career in fairytale fashion when he won Saturday’s $175,000 BRC QTC Cup 1300m G2.
The victory sealed his status as an exciting stallion prospect for his new majority owner Aquis Farm, and brought up a remarkable milestone for trainer Gerald Ryan: his 100th success with Snitzel’s progeny.
Read more about Gerald Ryan’s Snitzel century.
Spill The Beans drew 11 in the 13-horse field but a quick break from the gate allowed jockey Tim Clark to work him up on the pace, where he settled comfortably outside the early leader Eloping.
The colt took control just after the turn and drove clear at the 300-metre mark, as Miss Cover Girl led the challenges behind him. But Spill The Beans isn’t short of fortitude and he pressed on stubbornly to score by a head from Federal and Stratum Star who burst late from the pack, and Miss Cover Girl fourth.
Watch Spill The Beans’ BRC QTC Cup G2 victory.
Clark, who was posting his third win from four rides on the colt, said, “He travelled really well. You can’t wait on him and the leader sort of left me there a bit soon. But he toughed it out really well and showed good fight.”
Spill The Beans ends his racing career with five wins, three placings and just over $560,000 in prizemoney. Eight of his runs were at stakes level and he won three of them, all in the last four months: the ATC Eskimo Prince S. G3 in February, the Hawkesbury Guineas G3 in April and Saturday’s Group 2 contest.
Spill The Beans was bred by Arrowfield and offered at the 2014 Inglis Classic Sale, but failed to find a buyer, so he joined the Stud’s racing team. He will stand his first season this Spring at the Fung family’s new Queensland stud, Aquis Farm, with Arrowfield retaining an interest in him.
He is the best of three winners out of Miss Dodwell (by Falbrav), from the classy speed family of this season’s Group 1 winner Speak Fondly and 1986 Horse of the Year Bounding Away (five Group 1 wins including the Golden Slipper).
Miss Dodwell’s 2YO daughter Kenedna (by Not A Single Doubt) won her second start for Darren Weir last month, and her yearling filly by Smart Missile was bought for $110,000 by Dermot Farrington at the Inglis Melbourne Sale. The mare produced a second Smart Missile filly last Spring and is in foal to Snitzel.
