Cover image courtesy of Arrowfield Stud
Snitzel geldings double up for sire at Canterbury
Four-time Champion Sire Snitzel continues to deliver winners on the daily, and 3-year-old sons of the Arrowfield Stud resident delivered a back-to-back double at Canterbury on Wednesday; Hawkes Racing-trained gelding Dark Arts broke his maiden over the 1550 metres in the third race on the card, and a race later, Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou’s gelding First Mission put together his second win in five starts in the 1200-metre dash.
Not that there was much dashing to be had at Canterbury, with the track earning an upgrade to a Heavy 8 following the second race, but nevertheless both geldings persisted.
Dark Arts had to shuffle out wide to find galloping room in his race, trailing Shangri La Impact (NZ) (Staphanos {Jpn}) into the home straight, before streaking away with the race for a 0.35l victory over the Tulloch Lodge-trained filly. It was almost a Snitzel quinella when Chris Waller-trained Ant came charging home from the rear of the field, finishing third by a margin of 0.04l to second place.
A $600,000 purchase for Andrew Williams Bloodstock (FBAA) and Bevan Smith Bloodstock from Kitchwin Hills at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Dark Arts has been knocking on the door for a win, scoring seconds at both of his previous starts. His stylish Super Maiden win makes him the third winner from three foals for dual Group 3-placed Zasorceress (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), who didn’t hit her straps until stretching to a mile and beyond.
Dark Arts as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Zasorceress, whose third dam triple Group 1 winner Habibti (Ire) (Habitat {USA}) was a half-sister to foundational Eight Carat (GB) (Pieces Of Eight {Ire}), has a yearling full brother to Dark Arts to follow, who passed in when offered at this year’s Inglis Australia Easter Yearling Sale by North Bloodstock.
Kerrin McEvoy chalked up a double for the day when guiding First Mission to victory a race later; adopting similar tactics to his paternal half-brother, First Mission snuck around the field out wide before letting down to win by 1.28l. Second-placed Bellenth (Hellbent) and third-placed Cordina (I Am Invincible), the half-sister to young sires Farnan and Sandbar, both were strong through the line, powering home over the last 100 metres to clinch placings.
Curran Bloodstock went to $725,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale to secure the son of four-time Group winner Thump (Red Ransom {USA}) for Ron and Judy Wanless from Cressfield in 2023. First Mission is the mare’s first foal to race by Snitzel - her other two foals to race, both winners, are by Exceed And Excel - but she returned to him in September for a positive pregnancy. Her 5-year-old unraced daughter Smite (Snitzel) delivered a colt by Hellbent in the spring, before visiting Maurice (Jpn).
First Mission as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Currently third in the general sires’ table by earnings - but leading by stakeswinners with 15, which is two more than his closest rival - Snitzel may not be able to close the $2 million gap between him and Pride Of Dubai to clinch a fifth Champion Sire title this year, but his metrics continue to impress across the board. Amongst 3-year-old sires, he sits second, with daughter Lady Shenandoah being the pinnacle of his nine 3-year-old stakeswinners this season.
Only Too Darn Hot (GB) draws level on number of individual 3-year-old stakeswinners, but Snitzel’s progeny has clinched two more stakes victories to date. It makes sense that his fee remains at a career high of $247,500 inc GST for the third year in a row.
Tassort filly talk of the town after impressive Canterbury victory
Tassort may have narrowly missed out on another Group 1 winner at the weekend when his daughter Ameena stormed home to run second in the G1 Robert Sangster Stakes, but the son of Brazen Beau was vindicated by the midweek victory of another daughter on the rise; juvenile Miss Freelove won at Canterbury at her second start on Wednesday.
Trained by Peter Snowden, the 2-year-old filly had trialled pre-Christmas, but hadn’t been ready to step out on raceday until earlier in April, where she ran a flashy third at Warwick Farm, landing 0.65l behind $50,500 Black Opal Preview placegetter Perle De Chocolat (Astern). This week, she went two places better, leaping straight to the front out of the barriers under Kerrin McEvoy and leading all the way.
Beechworth (I Am Invincible) tracked the filly all the way into the home straight, but couldn’t quite kick hard enough to touch her, with Miss Freelove scoring by an increasing 2.2l in the 1100-metre contest - assisting McEvoy on his way to a metropolitan double for the day.
“She travelled really well and I thought, watching the race coming to the corner, if she doesn't find something here then we're in a bit of trouble, because she had such a soft lead,” said Snowden after the run. “Kerrin rated her well and it was good to see her win the way she did.
“I like her, I've always liked her, and she’s by a stallion that’s doing a great job, and they keep improving. She's doing a great job (and) just keeps on improving, although how far we go in this prep will be decided by how she pulls up.”
Peter Snowden | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“I like her (Miss Freelove), I've always liked her, and she’s by a stallion that’s doing a great job, and they keep improving.” - Peter Snowden
Miss Freelove was a $110,000 purchase for Trilogy Racing and Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA) from Twin Hills Stud, on behalf of breeders Redbank North, at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale. Hedge, speaking on X, was particularly pleased by the win.
“This filly is significant for me personally, as she is from the first group of horses bought with Trilogy Racing, who are now a huge part of our business,” he wrote.
Miss Freelove as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Trilogy Racing and Hedge have been active at the Magic Millions Gold Coast sales this year, securing a number of yearlings including spending $425,000 in conjunction with Snowden on Robert Sangster-winning Charm Stone’s (I Am Invincible) full sister and $280,000 for the Victor Ludorum (GB) half-sister to G3 Blue Sapphire Stakes winner Pisces (Frosted {USA}), both from the draft of Emirates Park.
Miss Freelove is the fifth juvenile winner for Tassort this season, who will stand at Newgate Farm for $38,500 (inc GST) this season for the second year in a row. His impressive early triallers and the exploits of juvenile Group 1-winning daughter Manaal have seen him serve over 200 mares for each of his last two seasons.
First season sire race intensifies as Farnan chalks up new winner
As the end of the racing season draws ever nearer, the battle for Champion First Season Sire becomes ever fiercer; currently in third place by prizemoney and second by number of winners, Kia Ora Stud’s Farnan struck again on Wednesday with the victory of gelded son North Pole at Ipswich. While closing the $1 million prizemoney gap to beat current leader Ole Kirk might be a bridge too far, the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes winner now sits one behind him by individual winners.
The Kelly Schweida-trained North Pole is the ninth individual winner for Farnan, and showed ability earlier in the year with a strong fourth in debut in January behind Quietly Arrogant (Capitalist) followed by a third behind Dushenka (Doubtland) at Eagle Farm. Resuming off of one strong Doomben trial, he hit the front early and proved uncatchable on Wednesday, scoring a 0.4l victory over the favourite, On Point Pixie (Heroic Valour).
Retained to race by breeders Highgrove Stud, North Pole is the sixth winner out of seven on the track from Group 2-placed Global Dream (Fastnet Rock), a three-quarter-sister to G2 Shannon Stakes winner Noire (Foxwedge). Among her foals before North Pole are G3 Breeders’ Plate winner Global Quest (More Than Ready {USA}) and Listed-placed Minks Star (Star Witness).
Last spring, Global Dream was covered by Home Affairs, and her weanling colt by Stay Inside has been withdrawn from the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale next week.
Farnan | Standing at Kia Ora Stud
Receiving a fee boost to $77,000 (inc GST) for the 2025 off of the back of a stellar first crop, Farnan has further chances to play catch up later this week, with three offspring accepted to race on Friday; Johnny and Fasvara in the $35,000 Star Kingdom 2YO Handicap at Muswellbrook, and Alphabet in the $40,000 Maiden 2YO Plate at Cranbourne.
| Ole Kirk | 10 | 4 | $2.77 million | - |
| Wootton Bassett (GB) | 5 | 0 | $2.36 million | $410,000 |
| Farnan | 9 | 3 | $1.62 million | $1.15 million |
| Lucky Vega (Ire) | 2 | 1 | $1.48 million | $1.29 million |
| Graff | 2 | 0 | $559,000 | $2.21 million |
Table: Current leading five first-season sires by prizemoney
The Opportunist keeps Lindsay Park juvenile train rolling at the Bool
The Hayes brothers at Lindsay Park have been having a stellar season with their 2-year-olds; off of the back of training the quinella in Tuesday’s $125,500 VOBIS Gold Strike with Mrs Iglesia (Dirty Work) and Killiana (Brazen Beau), they were right back to it on Wednesday with a 16th individual juvenile winner in Foxwedge colt The Opportunist.
Breaking his maiden at the fifth time of asking, The Opportunist rocked down the outside of the 1200-metre opener at Warrnambool to post a scintillating 3l victory over Morgana (Russian Camelot {Ire}). He had always been a forward type, showing enough to debut in the Listed Debutant Stakes in October before putting it all together in the autumn.
The Opportunist is owned by the same connections as Mrs Iglesia; Jeff and Rhonda Garrett of Revelstone Stud also bred the son of Samba (Bernadini {USA}), whose dam Gamba (Elusive Quality {USA}) is a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Cosmic Endeavour (Northern Meteor). Samba now has two to the races for two winners, with Revelstone Stud also retaining her dual-winning son Got Yourself A Gun (Shooting To Win). The mare visited first season sire Dirty Work in the spring; Mrs Iglesia was the third individual winner for the stallion.
“Jeff and Rhonda, they breed these horses, so to have a double at Warrnambool - they were just saying they’ll have to have a full team next year, they’ve just had so much fun,” co-trainer Ben Hayes said after the race. “They’re two new fans of the Warrnambool carnival, well done to them.
“It was a good ride from Celine (Gaudray), he jumped well and she decided to just let him balance up. She ended up in a good spot, he didn’t corner well but, as that was his fifth run of his 2-year-old year, he just knew too much and hit the line really well.”
“They’re (winning owners Jeff and Rhonda Garrett) two new fans of the Warrnambool carnival, well done to them." - Ben Hayes
Ben Hayes | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Comparing the colt to Mrs Iglesia’s performance the day before, Hayes rated their developments as “very similar”. Both were away and racing before Christmas - debuting in the same race - and have put it all together in the late autumn of their juvenile years.
“As early 2-year-olds, they both showed ability, hence why we ran in that stakes race (Debutant Stakes),” he said. “They both probably didn’t get it quite right, but with that experience, they’ve both come back and are racing really well.
“It’s good - training 2-year-olds is fun!”
Standing at Woodside Park Stud, Foxwedge will be offered at a fee of $8800 for the 2025 breeding season.
Lindsay Park look to extend their juvenile record again this weekend; maidens Bella Pietra (King’s Legacy) and Regal Visions (Hellbent) have been entered for the $30,000 Donald Classic.
