The Sweetest of Group 1 victories
Sweet Idea ended her outstanding career with Group 1 success in The Galaxy at Rosehill. (Bronwen Healy)
The path to the Group 1 winner’s circle is is more circuitous for some horses than for others, and their crowning success, when it comes, is especially satisfying.
Snitzel’s daughter Sweet Idea, brilliant winner of Saturday’s $400,000 The Galaxy 1100m G1, is that kind of long-burning star.
She has earned immense respect from punters, racegoers and industry professionals alike, from her debut win at Randwick as a Spring juvenile, through four Group 2 wins, and the same number of Group 1 placings at two, three & four.
Sweet Idea’s record of eight wins (five of them at Group 1 or 2 level), seven seconds, a third and $2.4 million prizemoney from 19 starts, all but three of them in black type races, describes a performer of the most genuine class, always competing to win and never giving less than her very best effort.
She is well-matched with her champion trainer Gai Waterhouse who joined James Harron to buy her for $240,000 from Arrowfield’s 2012 Magic Millions Gold Coast draft.
Despite her almost impeccable first-up record, Sweet Idea was allowed to start in The Galaxy at $18, a response to her wide draw and the quality of her opposition, notably the favourite Deep Field. Usually found taking up a position on the speed, Sweet Idea this time settled further back in the field, a tactic explained by Waterhouse after the race.
“Blake [Shinn] and I had a quiet talk in the jockey’s room beforehand and he said what do you think? I said to just give her a little bit of breathing space, you don’t want to use her up too soon and he did exactly that. It was a magical ride by Blake.
“She was too good the way she stormed home. I am so thrilled for the owners. We’ve been wanting the Group 1 and she’s got it in her first start back. What a mare.”
Or “You little ripper”, as part-owner David Henderson described her on Twitter. He races Sweet Idea with his brother Luke and Nick Vass, Wayne Cook, Danny Maher, Grant Scott, Mrs T.L. Vogel, Beric Lynton, Campbell Brown and Matt Allen.
Sweet Idea is the 5th Group 1 winner for Snitzel, and the second in a fortnight, after her Arrowfield-bred stablemate Wandjina’s success in the VRC Australian Guineas G1 on 7 March. Wandjina, from Snitzel’s 2011 crop, was also purchased from Arrowfield by James Harron, for $1 million from the 2013 Inglis Easter Sale.
Storming home for third in The Galaxy was Not A Single Doubt’s daughter Miracles of Life, bred by Teeley Assets, foaled and raised at Arrowfield and now raced by Stonestreet Stables.
Sweet Idea was bred by the highly successful partnership of Arrowfield & Katsumi Yoshida’s Jungle Pocket Pty Ltd, also responsible for Horse of the Year Weekend Hussler, Blue Diamond G1 winner Reaan, Group 2 winners Flying Snitzel & Hot Snitzel, recent Flemington Group winner Amorino & 2YO stakeswinner Odyssey Moon.
Sweet Idea was part of a notable day’s racing in Sydney for Mr Yoshida, also the breeder of Japanese visitor Real Impact, winner of the George Ryder S. G1. In a nice piece of synchronicity, Sweet Idea’s Group 1 success came on the same card as the Ranvet Stakes G1, one of two Group 1 races won by her Gai Waterhouse-trained grand-dam Electronic.
Arrowfield will offer Sweet Idea’s full sister as Lot 410 at next month’s Inglis Easter Yearling Sale – view the draft here. The siblings’ dam Flidais (by Timber Country) has a weanling colt by Snitzel and is once again in foal to the outstanding son of Redoute’s Choice.
