Farewell & thank you Redzel!
Kerrin McEvoy salutes the crowd at Randwick after Redzel's scintillating second Everest victory, 13 October 2018. (PHOTO: Darren Tindale)
The retirement this week of Snitzel’s leading earner, Champion Sprinter Redzel, marks the close of a stunning five-year career that ranks him alongside Australia’s most celebrated speedsters.
Redzel’s place in Australian turf history is secure, as the winner of the first two runnings of The Everest, the race that has sparked a whole new level of enthusiasm for our sport.
Those two victories and his brilliant Group 1 wins at Doomben and Flemington were all flawless demonstrations of Redzel’s full-throttle pace, his super-competitive spirit and his immense class.
Two-time Everest winner and two-time Group 1 winner 🔴Redzel 🔴has been retired.
Thanks for the memories to all involved. @SnowdenRacing1, @TripleCrownSynd @KPMcEvoy pic.twitter.com/6u2vgTtjWA
— Sky Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 16, 2020
Scarcely less impressive were his best runner-up finishes: to Russian Revolution in The Galaxy G1, to Redkirk Warrior in the Lightning S. G1 and to Trapeze Artist in the record-breaking 2018 T.J. Smith S. G1.
Age caught up with him this season, but Redzel kept turning up to test the next generation of sprinting stars. He claimed his third Concorde S. G3, beating Pierata & Graff, pushed Pierata & Classique Legend in the Shorts H. G2, and split Gyrtrash & Loving Gaby in the Lightning G1 and Nature Strip & Jungle Edge in his fourth Challenge S. G2.
Most movingly of all, he produced a performance of unflinching courage to finish 3rd in Nature Strip’s T.J. Smith S. G1, just behind Santa Ana Lane and ahead of Pierata, Bivouac, Trekking, In Her Time, Exceedance, White Moss, Loving Gaby & Vegadaze.
After bowing out with honour in the very best company, Redzel retires a happy and healthy horse who will always be warmly remembered by Arrowfield among his many fans, and cherished forever by those closest to him.
REDZEL – Champion Sprinter & Everest Hero
Photos by Bronwen Healy, Darren Tindale & Sportpix
REDZEL 2012 bay gelding
Snitzel-Millrich (by Rubiton)
BREEDER: Lee Fleming
PURCHASED: $120,000 from Marquee Stud
by Triple Crown Syndications at the 2014 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale
OWNERS: Triple Crown Syndications., Ten Players, Mr J N Allen, Walfam No 2, Mr P S Piras, Mr V P Chau, Mr T W Cheng, Mr M R Waddington, Mrs A G Gibson, Dr A Kuok, Mr J W Medland, Mr T Kocovski, Mrs P Di Marco, Mr L Halloran, Mr M E Hardwick, Mr BD Playford, Mr D D Yates, Mr A Savage.
TRAINERS: Peter & Paul Snowden and, for his first two starts, Gerald Ryan.
WINNING JOCKEYS: Kerrin McEvoy, Jim Byrne, Hugh Bowman, Mark Zahra, Blake Shinn.
RACE RECORD:
39 starts from 19 March 2015 to 4 April 2020
15 wins-1 at 2-to 1200m, 13 placings A$16,444,000
Major Wins:
VRC Darley Classic, Gr.1
BRC Doomben Ten Thousand S., Gr.1
ATC Challenge S., Gr.2
– setting a Randwick 1000-metre record time of 55:73.
ATC Shorts H., Gr.2
ATC Hall Mark S., Gr.3
MRC Heath S., Gr.3
NSW Tatt’s RC Concorde S.Gr.3-3 times
VRC Century S., LR
ATC Fireball S., LR
The Everest-twice
Champion Sprinter & Older Horse in Australia in 2017/18.
World Thoroughbred Ranking: 121 (in 2017), 122 (in 2018), 118 (in 2019).
Timeform Rating: 121 (in 2017), 126 (in 2018), 126 (in 2019).
