Snitzel’s fourth consecutive season as Australia’s No. 1 sire was officially recognised by the presentation of the 2019/20 Champion Sire title at Monday evening’s 2020 Australian Racehorse of the Year Awards.

Hosted this year by Racing Queensland, the event’s format was adjusted for the Covid-19 pandemic and Arrowfield’s Manager Paul Messara accepted Snitzel’s award via video.

Snitzel’s fourth title, won with $17.8 million prizemoney, more than $2 million clear of I Am Invincible & Pierro, confirms Arrowfield’s superstar stallion as the dominant Australian sire of his era. 

 Castelvecchio’s 2YO rating by Timeform Australia’s Gary Crispe ranks him among the best juvenile colts of recent years. (PHOTO: Joan Faras)

The Australian Racing Pattern ensures a constant supply of internationally credible, high-class competition throughout each season. And thankfully, the dedicated efforts of administrators and participants have kept that quality racing going in this Year of Coronavirus.

The only downside of this abundance of high-quality sport is that it tends to shorten our memories and make it easy to forget the best performances of the previous season, much less five or 10 years ago.

Snitzel’s fourth consecutive General Sires’ Premiership, won with $17.8 million prizemoney, more than $2 million clear of I Am Invincible and Pierro,  confirms Arrowfield’s superstar as the dominant Australian sire of his era. 

It is the eighth Premiership won by an Arrowfield stallion in the past 15 years, following Redoute’s Choice (2006, 2010, 2014), Flying Spur (2007) and Snitzel’s titles in 2017, 2018 & 2019.

Snitzel also heads the 2019/20 General Sires’ table by Stakeswinners (18) & Stakes Wins (25), ahead of Exceed and Excel (14 & 20) and I Am Invincible (13 & 17). Most significantly, his lifetime SW/Runners strike rate from his Australian crops remains an imposing 9.8 per cent.

Off the back of a stakes double from his progeny over the weekend, Written Tycoon's debut book at Arrowfield Stud is already full with breeders taking advantage of his recent relocation from Victoria.

Impressive sprinter Dirty Work became Written Tycoon's 34th stakes winner with his easy victory in the Listed Ortensia S. at Rosehill for Spendthrift, while Hightail added a second career stakes win to his resume in the G3 Gold Coast Guineas, shining a spotlight on their sire only a few weeks after it was confirmed he would move from Woodside Park.

Arrowfield Bloodstock Manager Jon Freyer said Written Tycoon had settled in well in the Hunter Valley and breeders had wasted no time locking him in at his 2020 service fee of $77,000 (inc GST).