The escalating success of Snitzel’s 2YOs
Snitzel's quest for a third 2YO Sires' Premiership will be significantly boosted if Away Game wins the Golden Slipper G1. (PHOTO: Bronwen Healy)
Spectacular 2YOs have played a major role in Snitzel’s story from the beginning of his stud career and there is no sign that trend will diminish in 2020 or beyond.
It was the fairytale first-crop filly Chance Bye who opened Snitzel’s stakes account when she won the 2010 Silver Slipper S. G2. Another 38 2YO stakeswinners (7% of his runners at that age) have followed her, more than half of them Group winners and four successful at Group 1 level. Collectively, Snitzel’s 2YOs have contributed a staggering $29 million (21%) of his lifetime progeny earnings.
As John Boyce pointed out in his recent analysis of Snitzel’s career for TDN Australia & New Zealand, “His percentage of stakes winners to runners has risen every year he’s had runners and we also know that he’s even more effective with elite mares (i.e. those in the top 15% of the population).
“He’s currently siring 13% stakes winners from elite mares, so he’s been given every chance to match or indeed to surpass his sire’s excellent career score of 12% stakes winners to runners.”
That escalating trend is evident in Snitzel’s 2YO statistics too, with 53% of his juvenile stakeswinners emerging from his 2014-17 crops, conceived on fees of $45,000, $65,000, $80,000 & $100,000.
They include three of his four 2YO Group 1 winners: Champion 2YO Estijaab, and Champion 2YO Colts Summer Passage & Invader who were joined by Trapeze Artist to run 1-2-3 in the 2017 Inglis Sires’ G1. That was the first time a single stallion has sired an Australian Group 1 2YO trifecta since Sir Tristram in 1982.
Snitzel’s Brilliant Babies
Snitzel’s 2017 crop has already produced Magic Millions 2YO Classic RLR star Away Game (also a Group 3 and Listed winner, and a brave 4th in last Saturday’s Blue Diamond S. G1), Inglis Nursery RL winner Wild Ruler and Blue Diamond Prelude G2 winner Letzbeglam, Group-placed Philizzy & Centimental and city winners Diamondesque, Thunder Mania & Time Is Precious.
Those performances and earnings of $2.5 million have put Snitzel on top of the 2YO Sires’ Premiership, a title he has already won twice, in 2017 & 2018.
His rivals can’t expect any slackening of Snitzel’s pace either. In both of his 2YO Championship seasons, and markedly in 2017/18, his youngest runners hit the accelerator in the final five months, and earned the bulk of their prizemoney in that period.
Snitzel’s 135-strong Class of 2017 is up for the challenge with fresh talent and stakes contenders regularly coming on stream. That includes his 9th winning 2YO this season, the colt Kumasi, successful on debut at Gosford on Wednesday, and the fillies Time Is Precious & Diamondesque, both lining up at Flemington in Saturday’s aptly titled Very Special Kids Plate LR.
Coming up in the sale-ring for Snitzel are 8 yearlings at Inglis Melbourne Premier and 65 yearlings at Inglis Easter.
