Randwick trials prove happy hunting for the Snowden team

Written by Jessica Owers

Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan

As expected in the shadows of spring racing, Randwick’s trials on Tuesday morning had plenty going on. Right off the bat, the first heat was a 900-metre Group sprint over the course proper that saw In The Congo (Snitzel) lead home a Waterhouse-Bott trifecta of Converge (Frankel {GB}) and Dajraan (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

Between them, these three horses represent three Group 1 victories, while the field also included the G2 Reisling S. winner Seven Veils (Shalaa {Ire}) and G1 Vinery Stud S. winner Fangirl. The dual Group 3 winner Queen Of The Ball (I Am Invincible) was among them too, as was the triple Listed winner Sacramento (Pierro).

With Tim Clark aboard, In The Congo showed good dash from the inside draw to lead throughout his trial. He was hustled along at the 250 metres, and he drew away to post a 1.4l victory.

Up the inside, Converge came from the back of the pack to be second with 1.7l to his third-placed stablemate, Dajraan. Over the Soft 7, In The Congo posted 54.64s for the 900 metres, the final 600 metres in 37.10s.

Tuesday’s trial was the first time In The Congo has been seen since his last-start effort in the G1 All Aged S. in the autumn.

In that race he was unplaced to Cascadian (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), but it followed placings in the G1 The Galaxy and G2 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint, the latter in which he was second to Mazu (Maurice {Jpn}).

In The Congo has been a consistent and smart horse for the Newgate Farm-China Horse Club syndicate.

The now 4-year-old has won three of his 10 starts, including the G1 Golden Rose when he defeated Anamoe (Street Boss {USA}), and he’s been placed in a further five. He’s won over a million dollars in prizemoney.

Snowden team on-song

Across the morning, there were plenty of newly turned 3-year-olds in open trials. In particular, the Snowden team had an arsenal of young horses going around, including the well-bred Cythera (I Am Invincible), who won the second event.

This filly was a winner of the Listed Lonhro Plate on debut at Randwick in early February, and she was third to Best Of Bordeaux (Snitzel) in the G2 Silver Slipper S. a fortnight later.

On Tuesday, she won her trial by 0.96l with James McDonald, leading home the Waterhouse-Bott mare Riduna (Fastnet Rock) and her stablemate Russian Conquest (Russian Revolution).

Cythera is raced in the colours of the IRON syndicate and, as a $420,000 purchase from Highgrove Stud at the 2021 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, she’s a half-sister to the G2 Australia S. winner, Thronum.

Gallery: Some of Snowden Racing's trial winners, images courtesy of Ashlea Brennan

Later in the morning, her stablemate Ambassadors (Zoustar) was a 3-year-old winner of a similar open trial. It was the second of the morning for the Newgate-China Horse Club alliance, the colt coming home by 0.49l.

Ambassadors is a son of the imported American mare Blueberry Smoothie (USA) (Giant’s Causeway {USA}) and, as a yearling, he was offered by Glastonbury Farms at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. He was picked up by his owners for $150,000 and his only start to date was a sixth on debut in early May.

Emirates Park filly returns well

Following Cythera, the Snowdens had the Emirates Park filly Ebhaar (I Am Invincible) win her trial, a 3-year-old and winner of the Listed Merson Cooper S. on debut last November.

From the get-go, this filly has shown her owner-breeder plenty, but she was her own worst enemy in the autumn, over-racing in the G3 Widden S. and G2 Silver Slipper S. to finish unplaced in both.

Since then, she’s won all three of her trials this preparation and, on Tuesday, she led home her stablemate, Miss Hellfire (Hellbent), by a smart 3.23l in a time of 1:03.53 for the 1050 metres.

“She’s always had ability and I suppose it looked good in the trial because she jumped so well,” said Bryan Carlson, general manager of Emirates Park. “She was probably at race speed while the rest were in trial speed, but she’s always been a filly with ability. We saw that when she won her stakes race as a 2-year-old.”

With jockey James McDonald, Ebhaar came from a middle draw to snatch the lead after a few strides and keep it for the duration of her trial. She was relatively untouched to the line, opening up a good gap to Miss Hellfire and third-placed Dolphina (Casino Prince).

“To the naked eye, it looked like she was a bit keen,” Carlson said. “But she came back under James pretty well once she got to the front. Her work this prep has been much better, so I think she’ll be fine going forward. As long as they’re going through their trials well at this time of the year, it doesn’t really matter where they finish.”

Ebhaar is a notable daughter of the Exceed And Excel mare Maroon Bay, herself a daughter of Legally Bay (Snippets) and, as such, a half-sister to Merchant Navy and two other stakes winners in Jolie Bay (Fastnet Rock) and Setanta (Fastnet Rock).

Maroon Bay is the first of this important family that Emirates Park has owned after the stud purchased her at the 2015 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $370,000 from Vinery Stud.

“It’s a good family and this is the first part of it we’ve had,” Carlson said. “We bought Maroon Bay just before Merchant Navy raced, so it was good timing. She was in foal to More Than Ready then, which was her first foal, and the family’s been pretty good to us.”

At the Magic Millions National Sale in May, Emirates Park sold a daughter of Maroon Bay, Marooniyah (Sebring), for $550,000 to the Tagaloa Syndicate. The half-sister to Ebhaar was a Sydney winner.

“It’s a family that continues to go from strength to strength,” Carlson said.

It’s likely that Ebhaar will kick off her spring in the G3 Quezette S. at Caulfield on August 13, and Carlson said the 3-year-old filly looks to have settled well with a bit of maturity.

“The tracks in the autumn probably didn’t help, but Ebhaar herself didn’t help in those big races after her stakes win,” he said. “She over-raced and was too keen up front, so we’ve been working on that a bit and hopefully she can turn that form around.”

For Emirates Park, Ebhaar was one of two horses on the watchlist on Tuesday morning. The second was Hulm, a Zoustar colt from a very good family.

Also trained by Peter and Paul Snowden, this 3-year-old colt is a son of Night Dream (Dream Ahead {USA}), herself a half-sister to the brilliant Sepoy and the G2 winner Mulaazem.

The unraced Hulm was second in his trial on Tuesday.