Top Sydney trainer Gai Waterhouse faces a dilemma of a decision with her smart Snippetson gelding Nobby Snip on whether to head to Queensland to tackle the Group features at the Brisbane Carnival or spell the two-year-old ahead of the spring after they won at Rosehill on Saturday.
Nobby Snip showed great form, the $2.80 favourite coasting to an easy one length win over the David Payne-trained Cocky Raider ($4.40) in the $70,000 Masterton Homes Handicap (1400m) after leading all the way while Hendricus ($5) was a further two lengths back for third.
The victory was Nobby Snip’s second on the trot following their equally impressive two and a half length success at Kembla Grange over 1200m at the start of the month.
Waterhouse can now either take Nobby Snip up to Brisbane with the aim of winning the premier juvenile’s feature of the season, the Group 1 The TJ Smith (1600m) at Eagle Farm on June 11, or hold off so as not to hamper preparations for the coveted Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill at the end of August.
“I’m not sure what I’ll do,” Waterhouse said.
“It’s something for me to think about.
“He may go to Queensland (for the TJ Smith), but more than likely he’ll go to the paddock and come back for the early races in the spring.
“If you blink it will be spring soon and he’ll need a break at some stage.”
This was the same logic premier Victorian trainer Peter Moody used when deciding to spell superstar mare Black Caviar early, giving the 13-time winner a good break ahead of an action-packed spring campaign instead of running her one more time in this Saturday’s Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1350m) in Queensland.
While the TJ Smith over the mile and its $500,000 in prize money is certainly an attractive option, Waterhouse said Nobby Snip was more suited to the 1400m of the Golden Rose at his home track.
“Most definitely, this is a very nice horse in the making,” Waterhouse said.
“He’s a nice unassuming horse, typical of his sire Snippetson and he’s tough as teak.”
Runner-up to Nobby Snip on Saturday, Cocky Raider is still expected to head to the TJ Smith despite the son of Testa Rossa being unable to reel in the favourite on Saturday.
