The second race of Rosehill’s midweek meeting on Wednesday proved a thriller between Highclere-bred Snitzonfire and Godolphin gelding Depiction (Exceed And Excel). The pair of 3-year-olds argued all the way to the line in the Vinery H., with Snitzonfire getting his way by just 0.09l.
The result was equally exciting from a bloodstock perspective, with Snitzonfire being a half-brother to the 2-year-old filly Coolangatta (Written Tycoon), who last weekend demolished the field in the G3 Gimcrack S. at Royal Randwick.
Her half-brother, Snitzonfire, is now undefeated in two starts.
The 3-year-old gelding won on debut in September, in an 1100 metre maiden at Nowra. Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott at Tulloch Lodge, he had shown excellent form in previous trials this preparation, winning and placing second before Nowra’s effort.
Snitzonfire jumped quickly from barrier five on Wednesday, and jockey Tim Clark put the gelding in a leading position on the rail. On their outside, race-favourite Depiction settled down, and that’s how they entered the straight.
At the 300 metres, the pair was still alongside, with a scrappy situation going on behind them. Only Park Avenue (Fastnet Rock) looked a danger as Snitzonfire and Depiction matched strides in the final stages.
Snitzonfire was briefly headed, but he rallied to poke his nose out when it mattered, and the final margin was a narrow one, with 1.46l back to Park Avenue in third.
The final time was 1:17.00 flat, the final 600 metres in 34.26s on a Good 4.
Nowra to Wednesday grade
Neil Paine was trackside at Rosehill to represent the Waterhouse-Bott yard, and he said Snitzonfire was well-named.
“Our horse, he just showed so much courage there, he didn’t give in,” Paine said. “Tim Clark was so strong in the last furlong, going along with Nash Rawiller (on Depiction). They’re two strong jockeys and Tim just outpowered Nash in the last 100 metres.”
Paine pointed out the obvious breeding angle about Snitzonfire.
“This horse is a half-brother to Coolangatta, who won the Gimcrack last Saturday,” he said. “So it’s a really good win all-round for everyone involved. This was a strong 3-year-olds' race, so to come out and win this with Snitzonfire is terrific.”
Coolangatta | Image courtesy of Ash Brennan
Paine also said that the stable’s habit of taking young horses away to provincial or country tracks, in this case Nowra, was a handy, long-standing tactic.
“We take our horses down to Nowra or Goulburn to win their maiden, and Gai and Adrian have always done that,” Paine said. “The trip away (is good for them), and to come back and win a midweek race is terrific for everyone.”
Tim Clark said the gelding had been gutsy to fend off Depiction.
“He does what he has to, and every time he was challenged he found something, and every time I asked him for something extra, he was willing to give it,” the jockey said. “I think he’s done a good job to progress from a Nowra maiden straight to a Wednesday-grade race, and he’s only going to continue to improve.”
Clark said Snitzonfire might find himself in a set of blinkers in the future, but he said the horse had done a super job, as close as the final margin was.
Highclere horse
Snitzonfire was bred by Highclere Racing, the first foal from the More Than Ready (USA) mare Piping Hot.
Piping Hot was bred by Arrowfield and sold as a yearling at the 2015 Inglis Easter Sale, fetching $320,000 from Highclere’s John and Jake Warren.
She had a very promising career, trained by Waterhouse and raced four times. Piping Hot won two of those races, but she was retired after a last-start win at Newcastle in 2017.
Thereafter, she went to John Muir’s Milburn Creek in the Southern Highlands, and from there she foaled Snitzonfire in 2018 and Coolangatta in 2019.
Snitzonfire was sold at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2020, with Waterhouse, Bott and Mt Hallowell Stud paying $425,000 for the horse. Coolangatta was sold at the same Sale the year after, bought by Ciaron Maher for $280,000.
“Piping Hot lives with us at Milburn Creek, and has done since she retired,” said Milburn studmaster John Muir. “We do the raising, bringing the foals into the world and all the rest of it, and we’ve sold the yearlings, but she belongs to John Warren.”
Snitzonfire was one of 14 horses in the Milburn Creek draft at Magic Millions last January.
He was the farm’s joint second-highest selling yearling, pipped significantly by the $1.1 million Exceed And Excel colt sold to Tom Magnier from Dream In Colour (GB) (Frankel {GB}). That colt is now Wizard Of Oz, placed in three starts for Chris Waller.
“At $425,000, he was a very nice colt,” Muir said of Snitzonfire. “He was selected by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, and I think he has a lot of upside after that win at Rosehill. He was very well-trained and he’s a very nice horse, and he fought back well to win.”
Sell and regret
On the Gold Coast last year, Snitzonfire was inside the top 10 of Snitzel's progeny sold at January’s Magic Millions.
The highest-selling was a colt from One Funny Honey (USA) (Distorted Humor {USA}), the dam of Group winners Vega One (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and One More Honey (Onemorenomore). That colt is now an unraced 3-year-old called Tidal Creek.
"I think you're entiled to get that sort of money if a Snitzel is a good article," said Muir. "And Snitzonfire was that."
"I think you're entiled to get that sort of money if a Snitzel is a good article. And Snitzonfire was that." - John Muir
At Milburn Creek, Piping Hot has a yearling filly by Dundeel (NZ), and she visited Written Tycoon on an early cover this spring.
“She’s a quality mare,” Muir said. “John Warren has mated her very well, and he’s had results. Her Dundeel yearling will probably go to Easter, and she’s a very nice type. They’ll be very pleased with that article also.”
Based on the stakes result with Coolangatta, the obvious question is will the Dundeel filly be retained? Muir is typically straight and comical about that prospect.
“They usually sell and regret,” he joked, “but you never know.”
Muir said Highclere was a good seller, and expert at meeting the market. Equally, he said the outfit was an elite breeding operation that he was thrilled to be associated with.
Milburn Creek has two of Highclere’s broodmares, with Piping Hot joined by the Exceed And Excel mare Luqyaa. She was purchased by John and Jake Warren at the 2018 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, costing $310,000 from the draft of Yarraman Park Stud.
Spirit Of Boom x Luqyaa (filly)
Luqyaa has a Spirit Of Boom 2-year-old filly that was bought by Black Soil Bloodstock, John Foote and Tony Gollan at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. She cost $300,000, while the mare has a very forward colt by Dundeel that is headed to the same Sale this January.
“John Warren is the Queen’s racing manager, and he’s had a lot of experience breeding horses,” Muir said. “He’s entrusted us with these two mares, and they get first-class attention, I can tell you. They’re treated just like our own.”
