Snitzel loves New Zealand!
SNITZEL – four-time Champion Sire, Australia’s current leading sire of 2YOs and fast-rising sire of sires. (PHOTO: Joan Faras)
Snitzel extended his notable record of New Zealand success on Karaka Million day at Pukekohe Park thanks to his 131st stakeswinner Green Aeon and talented 2YO Ethereal Star.
In all, the four-time Champion Sire is responsible for 7 New Zealand stakeswinners, including Group 1 winners Sword Of State & Summer Passage, plus 11 other stakes performers from only 66 runners.
Rejuvenated former Australian & Hong Kong runner Green Aeon (ex Berengaria by Commands) gave well-known standardbred trainer & driver Todd Mitchell his first thoroughbred stakes victory when he took out the $130,000 Concorde H. 1200m G3.
That takes Snitzel’s tally of black type victories this season to 13 – right on the button of the exceptional strike rate of one stakes win every 13 days or so that he has maintained since August 2016.
The former Hong Kong galloper GREEN AEON takes out the G3 Concorde Handicap for Todd Mitchell and Sam Spratt pic.twitter.com/UGZ6gxUZfl
— TAB Racing (@TAB_Racing) January 21, 2023
Mitchell said, “I came here hoping he might run in the first four, so it’s an amazing result. He’s one of the nicest horses I’ve trained.”
A half-brother to Group 1 winner Politeness (now an Arrowfield broodmare), Green Aeon was bred by Sledmere Stud and sold for $300,000 from Sun Stud’s draft to Willie Leung’s Magus Equine at the 2017 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale. He won his first two starts in Sydney for Bjorn Baker and then transferred to Hong Kong where he won a race for Caspar Fownes.
After winning his first New Zealand start in December, Green Aeon was second in the Hallmark Stud H. LR on Boxing Day before lining up at Pukekohe. His next target is the Waikato Sprint G1 at Te Rapa on 11 February.
Ethereal Star, already winner of the Counties Challenge S. LR, turned in a tremendous effort to finish second, less than a length from Tokyo Tycoon, in the $1 million Karaka Million 2YO RL.
Ethereal Star was bred by Lib & Katrina Petagna’s JML Bloodstock from dual Group winner & VRC Oaks G1 third Eleonora (by Makfi), herself a grand-daughter of Champion Stayer Ethereal. The filly was purchased for $600,000 from the Blandford Lodge draft at Karaka Premier by trainer Andrew Forsman and agents Andy Williams & Bevan Smith.
Buyers looking for a Snitzel in Book 1 of the upcoming New Zealand Bloodstock National Sale Series will find just one: Pencarrow Stud’s colt out of Group 1 winner Guiseppina (by Gone West’s son Johar).
Another two Snitzel colts are catalogued for next month’s Inglis Classic Sale, followed by 6 fillies and a colt at Inglis Melbourne Premier and 40 lots (12 offered by Arrowfield) at Inglis Easter in April.
