BRC Sires Produce Stakes winner Hot Snitzel is set to end the dominance of Peter Snowden and the Darley team in this season’s Group One two year old races.
Hot Snitzel won the BRC Sires Produce Stakes on Saturday and now looks set for a tilt at the final Group One for two year olds this season, the TJ Smith Stakes.
Peter Snowden has trained the winners of all four two year old Group Ones this season, with Sepoy winning the Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper while Helmet took at the Champagne Stakes and the AJC Sires Produce.
However Hot Snitzel looks the most obvious to end that run, after his sensational win in the BRC Sires Produce.
Hot Snitzel was well backed on Saturday, coming in from $6.00 to $4.00 and he duly saluted, beating home Playtime and Mahisara.
There was a sensation before the race when the Peter Snowden trained Free Wheeling reared at the start, became jammed in the gates and took no part in the race.
Despite this Free Wheeling, who was a $5.00 third favourite, was declared a definite starter, with chief steward Wade Birch declaring “stewards believe Free Wheeling had the same opportunity as every other horse to jump away.”
The incident also had an effect on Free Wheeling’s stable mate and race favourite Benfica, who was drawn next to Free Wheeling, and was subsequently slow out of the barriers.
“We wanted to be in the first three of four, but he took fright when Browny’s horse went off and we were never in the right spot,” said Benfica’s jockey Kerrin McEvoy.
Hot Snitzel’s trainer Gerald Ryan commiserated with the connections of Free Wheeling and also confirmed that his horse would go onto the Group One TJ Smith Stakes.
“You don’t like to see things like that happen but Free Wheeling not being there helped heaps.
“He ran a terrific race and the plan is to back up on Saturday.” Ryan said.
Hot Snitzel was a $60,000 yearling and races for Chris and Michael Ward of Triple Crown Syndications, who will be chasing their first Group One victory in the TJ Smith Stakes.
“It’s good to see him return to the form he had on the Gold Coast. It was a good field today the strength has been building on each day of the carnival. He’s very tough and is the sort of horse you can back up next week, which is ideal going into the TJ,” said Michael Ward of Triple Crown syndications.
Hugh Bowman, who piloted Hot Snitzel to victory in the BRC Sires Produce is confident the colt will not be troubled by the step up to 1600m in the TJ Smith Stakes.
“When I got him into clear running, I was supremely confident and he just took the race.
“He’s a horse that races better when he has plenty of room and that was an impressive performance.” Bowman said.
