Snitzel’s busy 24 hours raises the bar – again
Nomothaj (royal blue) ridden by Mark Zahra trained by David & Ben Hayes & Tom Dabernig winning the Listed 3AW is Football Stakes (1000m) at Flemington on 3 March 2018 - photo by Quentin Lang / Copyright - Sportpix
Four winners on Friday evening, then valuable Saturday victories by a 2YO filly at Flemington and a 4YO mare at Wyong have taken Snitzel past yet another milestone.
That’s the $18 million season prizemoney mark – never seen before in Australia and achieved only a week after Snitzel punched through $17 million.
3YO colt Leningrad at Canterbury in Sydney, Arrowfield Magic Millions graduate Bowerman & 4YO mare Sprightly Lass at Moonee Valley in Melbourne, and Shinnecock at the Sunshine Coast got the Snitzel train rolling on Friday evening.
On Saturday, Shadwell Stud’s smart 2YO filly Nomothaj gave Snitzel his 29th Australian stakes win of 2017/18 when she claimed the $120,000 VRC Festival of Racing S. 1000m LR from a determined Irukandji (by Dundeel) and Nomothaj’s Lindsay Park stablemates, Virtual Insanity and Absaroka (by Redoute’s Choice).
Watch Nomothaj win the VRC Festival of Racing S. LR.
Nomothaj defeated the Magic Millions winner and current Golden Slipper favourite Sunlight in last October’s Maribyrnong Trial S. LR, but a Slipper re-match is by no means certain for the Love Racing-bred, Shadwell-owned daughter of Real Stolle (by Elusive Quality).
Head trainer David Hayes said, “We’ll have a bit of a think about it. She’s very good up the straight (at Flemington). I wish the Slipper was up the straight.
“I put Nomothaj in the race mad fresh so she’ll be really improved and I thought the two stablemates who finished behind her are coming winners as well.”
The $175,000 Magic Night S. G3 on 17 March and the $600,000 Percy Sykes S. G2 on 14 April are also possible targets for Nomothaj.
Snitzel’s final push to a new Australian season earnings total of $18,033,494 was completed by Just Dreaming whose class prevailed in the $150,000 Wyong Provincial Championship Qualifier. The 4YO mare, trained by Kris Lees for breeder Judy Wanless, is now the favourite for the $500,000 Final at Randwick on 14 April.
Snitzel has eight colts on offer at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale which begins tomorrow, while April’s Inglis Easter catalogue features 64 yearlings by Snitzel, including 8 fillies and two colts in Arrowfield’s draft.
