Snitzel plucks the Golden Rose
In its brief eight-year history as a Group 1 Sydney 3YO feature the Golden Rose had eluded Arrowfield’s stallions.
But that all changed on Saturday when Trapeze Artist led home Champagne Cuddles and Menari to land a sensational Golden Rose trifecta for Snitzel and Not A Single Doubt.
Watch Trapeze Artist win the ATC Golden Rose S. G1.
The $1 million race over 1400 metres was a triumph for “Mr. Snitzel”, Gerald Ryan, trainer of both the favourite Menari and Trapeze Artist, who slipped off the punters’ radar and started at 40/1. A Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed at two, Trapeze Artist left no doubt about his class when he overcame barrier 14 and a four-wide run to romp home by 4.3 lengths.
The Bjorn Baker-trained Champagne Cuddles earned her own round of applause when she sprinted out of the pack to nab second from the valiant Menari. It was the fourth Group placing this season for the tough and talented Not A Single Doubt filly, who backed up after a similar late-dash run for second in last week’s Tea Rose S. G2.
Ryan has now trained 13 stakeswinners by Snitzel, they have won 31 Group & Listed races, and the Golden Rose is his second Group 1 victory with Snitzel’s tribe, after Snitzerland’s 2014 VRC Lightning S. G1 success.
Trapeze Artist is Snitzel’s 12th individual Group 1 winner and the result was the second Arrowfield-sired Group race trifecta in a fortnight, after the ATC Run to the Rose G2 won by Menari from Pariah (by Redoute’s Choice) and Perast (also by Snitzel).
Trapeze Artist is raced by the Vieira family headed by Bert Viera who paid $190,000 for the Domesday mare Treppes in foal to Snitzel from Edinburgh Park at the 2014 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. Two years later, the yearling Trapeze Artist was passed in for $300,000 at the Inglis Easter Sale – a disappointment that was well and truly forgotten as Bert Vieira celebrated his first Group 1 success after several years of substantial investment.
Treppes is a non-winning member of a distinguished family that includes the Woodlands Stud graduates Crawl, Marching & Gait, and descends from 1971 Golden Slipper winner Fairy Walk. Go back another four generations and there’s Raphis, one of the several full sisters to Phar Lap that have extended his family’s influence into the 21st century.
Less than two months after winning his first General Sires’ title, Snitzel is once again leading every Premiership category with $3.1 million prizemoney, 40 winners, 50 wins, 9 stakeswinners and 11 stakes wins. Eight other stallions have broken through the $1 million mark, including Not A Single Doubt, who holds down sixth spot with just over $1.2 million.
