Splintex lands the Group 3 Hall Mark Stakes
Splintex (black cap) took his earnings past $900,000 with an ebullient Hall Mark S. G3 win for his owner-breeders Geoff & Mary Grimish. (PHOTO: Sportpix/Martin King)
Snitzel’s smart sprinting son Splintex added a second Group win to his resumé with a slick performance in the $160,000 ATC Hall Mark S. 1200m G3.
It was a nicely timed victory, just before Anzac Day, for his owner-breeders, former soldier Geoff Grimish & his wife Mary, well-known in the military community for their support of veterans.
Money was right! Splintex takes out the TAB Hall Mark Stakes for @JoshuaParr8 & @mark_mnracing
Another one for @LizzieJelfs 🙌 pic.twitter.com/n0YGV1K7f2
— Sky Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 24, 2021
The win is a welcome turn of luck for the 4YO colt, and takes his record to six wins including last year’s Arrowfield 3YO Sprint G2, three placings and $905,000 prizemoney from 16 starts.
Splintex is out of the good racemare Acquired (by O’Reilly), a 7-time winner, multiple stakes performer and dam of five other winners including stakes-winning filly Invictus Salute.
Purchased by Highgrove Stud from the 2019 Inglis Chairman’s Sale for $450,000, Acquired has a weanling colt by The Autumn Sun and is in foal to Snitzel. The Grimishes have retained Sixgun, the year-younger full brother to Splintex who showed promise in his debut last win last June and remains in training with Mark Newnham.
The Snitzel/O’Reilly cross warrants further use by breeders: Splintex, Sixgun, multiple Listed winner Snitzkraft and six other winners make up the nine runners it has so far produced.
Splintex is one of Snitzel’s 8 Group winners this season, among 11 stakeswinners and 14 other stakes performers, including Reloaded & Xerri, both placed in Listed company at Doomben on Saturday.
Newnham now plans to take Splintex to Queensland for a chance to emulate Snitzel’s two previous Hall Mark winners, Hot Snitzel and Redzel, who both subsequently progressed to Brisbane Group 1 success.
