'Getting a Champion son is just going to happen': Evergreen Snitzel's legacy still blooming

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

He was sorely missed this breeding season, but the late Snitzel ensured that his presence was still felt on the track with another great weekend. It was headlined by new stakes winner Yorkshire, whose well-deserved G3 Festival Stakes victory anointed him the 163rd stakes winner for his sire.

In addition, Snitzel’s sire son Russian Revolution added his second career Group 1 winner in the Winterbottom Stakes with Libertad, having previously sired G1 Randwick Guineas victor Communist, and his daughter High Conviction added a fresh stakes winner in Listed Sir Ernest Lee-Steere Classic winner Hot And High (Too Darn Hot {GB}).

Keeping current with plenty of winners

In the past seven days, Snitzel has had seven individual winners, with Festival Stakes winner Yorkshire quite obviously leading the way. Several of them are emerging youngsters, headlined by juvenile colt Fireball who won on debut at Rosehill on Saturday. Just as when he was still alive, his average of a stakes winner every 19 days remains intact.

At Canterbury on Friday night, 3-year-old filly Caffe Florian won her second start by two lengths, and in New Zealand, on Wednesday, 3-year-old colt King’s English broke through at his third start, having placed in his first two starts.

Eleven of his daughters also produced winners in the same timeframe; Balance The Books (Capitalist), out of Shuwaamekh, and Bossed Up (Better Than Ready), from Go Arrivederci, were city winners alongside Hot And High's stakes win.

“He’s evergreen. He just keeps on going. His last crop were born this year, and even though we’ve lost him, he continues to be as potent as he was while he was alive. It’s amazing,” John Messara said.

Yorkshire's win was the 10th stakes victory by his sire’s progeny since his death on June 11 this year. When Snitzel died, he had 23 Group 1 winners and 160 stakes winners. This spring alone, this has risen to 25 thanks to Baraqiel winning the G1 AJ Moir Stakes and Transatlantic winning the G1 Toorak Handicap.

Within the last six months, Baraqiel also won the Listed Carlyon Stakes, while Lazzura won both the G2 Let's Elope Stakes and G3 ATC Show County Handicap. Bridal Waltz won G3 Bletchingly Stakes and the Listed AR Creswick Stakes, Origin of Love added the G3 War Decree Stakes, and G1 Golden Slipper winner Mahroona returned as a 3-year-old to win the Listed Heritage Stakes.

Snitzel’s final crop are almost all on the ground. In his final season in 2024, Snitzel covered 114 mares. Of those, 110 have completed their mare returns with 72 live foals to date.

The grand-progeny are flying too

With the victory of Libertad in Saturday’s G1 Winterbottom Stakes, his sire Russian Revolution joined Shamus Award as another Snitzel son to have sired multiple Group 1 winners. Shamus Award, who went to stud four years earlier than Russian Revolution, has six Group 1 winners.

“It was so good for Libertad and the people involved with him, Annabel (Archibald), Trilogy. He’s been super consistent,” said Newgate Farm's Director Of Bloodstock, Bruce Slade, of the 5-year-old entire.

A product of the Newgate resident's second crop, Libertad has now won a Group race in every racing season since he hit the track as a 2-year-old.

“The breeders who went to Russian Revolution at $85,000, his highest fee so far, have yearlings to sell in January onwards, so it’s nice for him to stake his name and flag at a high point right now to bring some relevance for those yearlings.”

Russian Revolution has 119 live foals from his 2024 crop who are currently yearlings. There are 26 catalogued for the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and Newgate will offer three, including a full brother to Listed Tasmanian Guineas winner Russian Roni.

He also has three yearlings in the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale book 1 catalogue, and a further 11 in the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. The catalogues for the other sales are still to be released.

“He’s a horse who clearly makes the most of his opportunities,” Slade said. “He’s running at 5% stakes winners to runners in his first two crops. His next two crops, where we were struggling to get mares to him, he’s yet to leave a stakes winner from them. His second best book ever, are 2-year-olds now represented by Ceeiaye already, and his next crop at his highest fee are now yearlings. I really feel like he’s going to rebound commercially.

“He’s just doing a great job. He’s in the top 10 sires by winners, he’s getting lots of winners, and with the lowest number of starters in that top 10.”

Russian Revolution is currently 17th on the Australian Sire Championship table by earnings, and he’s ninth by winners. This season in Australia he has 67 individual winners, while the leader of the table is Zoustar with 79. Of the top 10, Russian Revolution has the lowest number of runners this season with 164, the next being Snitzel himself who has had 70 winners from 180 runners so far in 2025/26.

“He’s got a high winning strike rate, and a high conversion rate of foals into metro class gallopers,” Slade said. “It’ll be nice to see these next two crops come out and do well and he’ll climb the ladder again.

“They jump and run at two, and the likes of Libertad show that they train on too.” Russian Revolution’s 13 stakes winners have all come from his 2019 and 2020 born crops.

Snitzel’s other active sons

Snitzel has 33 active sons across Australian and New Zealand, and demand remains fierce for his sons to retire at stud. Of his active sons, 10 have left stakes winners - 15 sons in total have produced stakes winners - and 16 are yet to have a runner.

Three sires have first crop juveniles, led by Sword Of State who already has a stakes winner with Torture (NZ) winning the Listed Debutant Stakes at Caulfield in mid-October. To add another layer to the result, Snitzel's daughter Free Flying was second behind her by half a length.

The future looks bright with many exciting prospects still to have runners.

“Snitzel has made a fabulous contribution to the breeding industry in Australia and I think we have his two best sons. Shinzo and Switzerland are the best bred and best performed, they are fiercely well-bred, they are fantastic looking, and so we are looking forward to seeing what they can do,” said Coolmore’s Colm Santry.

Coolmore stand three sons of Snitzel; G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Switzerland was selected by the stud as a yearling, while G1 Golden Slipper Stakes victor Shinzo was retained to race by the operation, and a controlling share was purchased in Best Of Bordeaux after he collected two juvenile Group victories and ran second in the Golden Slipper.

“Shinzo is by Snitzel out of a Champion mare and was a Champion himself, so he’s just Champion everywhere,” Santry said. “Being a Golden Slipper winner, he’s been sought after. He’s getting fabulous looking first foals, and he’s been given every opportunity.

“Switzerland is probably Snitzel’s best 3-year-old colt. He won the Coolmore in record time, he was favourite for the Golden Slipper and was unbeaten going in, and he’s a fabulous looking horse that reflects his $1.5 million purchase price.

“We also have Best Of Bordeaux, who is great value and an outstanding 2-year-old colt who was runner up in the Slipper.”

The versatility of Snitzel not just as a sire, but also as a broodmare sire, is not lost on Coolmore; Tom Magnier signed the docket for four sons of the stallion at this year's yearling sales, including a full brother to Switzerland.

“Snitzel gets very good five and six furlong sprinters and they train on,” Santry said. “He has that speed attribute from that Danehill line that we brought out. He fulfilled (the desire of) this marketplace of breeding sprinting 2-year-olds and now he’s a good broodmare sire.

“He’s the broodmare sire of one of our young stallions, the Guineas winner, Private Life. We bought two yearlings off Arrowfield that year, one was Switzerland and the other Private Life, one’s by Snitzel and the other’s out of a Snitzel mare.”

Gallery: Snitzel's sons standing at Coolmore, images courtesy of Coolmore

Also sons of Snitzel daughters, Growing Empire and Celestial Legend retired to stud this year. The four-time stakes winner Growing Empire was placed three times at Group 1 level in his 3-year-old spring, and was welcomed home to Yulong Stud. Winner of the G1 Doncaster Handicap and the G1 Randwick Guineas, Celestial Legend has also been well received by Victorian breeders from his Woodside Park Stud base.

Newgate Farm, who stand Russian Revolution, have complemented him with two more sons of Snitzel in Wild Ruler, whose oldest are 2-year-olds, and In The Congo, whose oldest are yearlings. A Moir winner who won the R. Listed Inglis Nursery in his pre-Christmas debut, Wild Ruler's 2-year-olds have pleased the Newgate team with what they have demonstrated so far.

“Wild Ruler has started incredibly well. Stretan Ruler who debuted in the Merson Cooper, it was a massive run, he sat three deep facing the breeze until he got beaten a nostril in the shadow of the post.

“10 days before that, Iconic Ruler ran second at Caulfield. Before that, he had the sixth placegetter in the Golden Gift, Threesome came from last in a really good effort. The Wildling ran in the Gimcrack, and didn’t get any room at all, but is a lovely filly with Gai and Adrian who was terrific on debut,” said Slade.

Gallery: Snitzel's youngest sons standing at Newgate Farm, images courtesy of Newgate Farm

“They are quite scopey, with more leg than most Snitzels. It’s been really positive start for him, and I’d love to be selling a yearling by him in 2026.

“In the Congo has his first yearlings, and he covered the most mares in Australia in his first year. He’s had great support, and he’s a Group 1 winner who is obviously a three-quarter-brother to Autumn Glow. It’s a huge pedigree, and by a Champion Sire.”

Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) remains an unbeaten Group 1 winner who sold for $1.8 million as a yearling, partially thanks to the presence of her older G1 Golden Rose Stakes-winning sibling In The Congo. Their dam, Via Africa (Saf) (Var {USA}), is also a Group 1 winner.

“Snitzel has been such an incredible stallion. Getting a Champion son is just going to happen,” said Slade.

Table: Snitzel's active sire sons

It’s what the market wants

With 71 seven-figure yearlings to date, the market has been hot for Snitzel’s yearlings for many years - in fact, the last year that he did not produce a million-dollar yearling was in 2012, when his eldest crop was just four. And the reason is simple: he produces what people want to race.

“For us (at Coolmore) looking to buy Group 1-winning 2 and 3-year-old colts in Australia, Snitzel is the best one to achieve that. Snitzel leaves what the market wants and desires,” said Santry.

“Fastnet Rock has been very good, as has I Am Invincible and Written Tycoon, but Snitzel was the best of his generation with the best 2-year-olds from that group of good sires around.

“That’s what the market wants – stallions who can produce Slipper winners that train on, and Snitzel has three of them.

“Danehill had an unbelievable temperament. And he’s known to get a lot of horses like that. He was a duck to water in Australia with so many Golden Slipper winners immediately. He was an icon and it’s great we can breed to his sire line.

“Redoute’s Choice began his life here at Coolmore and he had the C brand on his shoulder.”

Coolmore also stand Redoute's Choice's son King’s Legacy whose 3-year-olds are winning every week, led by Group 3 winner Steel Trap. But Coolmore have gone a lot stronger into the next generation with their sons of Snitzel.

“We had Encosta De Lago at the same time (as Redoute’s Choice was big), who was a great outcross to Danehill at the time,” Santry said. “We’ve got a lot of Encosta De Lago mares and we’ve bought some elite mares to send to these two sons of Snitzel.”

Snitzel has 37 yearlings entered in the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, including a full sister to the aforementioned recent winner Caffee Florian, as Lot 504.

Three more will be offered at Karaka later in January and four colts will go through the ring at Inglis Classic. He’s bound to have plenty in the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale when that catalogue is released in the next month or two.