It's the last day of the Australian racing season and if we've learned one thing in the past 12 months it's that Snitzel has well and truly stepped out of the shadow of his champion sire Redoute's Choice.

Whatever way you look at it Snitzel has had a remarkable season and will finish as Champion Australian Sire by earnings, winners and stakes-winners as well as champion 2YO Sire and 3YO Sire.

Arrowfield Stud have provided the following key statistics:

• 29 winners of 36 Group & Listed Races worldwide – inc. 9 2YO SW
• 26 winners of 31 G&L Races in Australia
• 5 Group 1 winners: INVADER, REDZEL & RUSSIAN REVOLUTION (Australia), SUMMER PASSAGE (New Zealand) & HEAVENLY BLUE (South Africa).
• Leading Sire by Aggregate at the Magic Millions ($13.9 million) & Inglis Easter ($21.0 million) Sales
• Five $1 million+ yearlings, top price $1.7 million (achieved twice at Inglis Easter)
• In all, 111 yearlings sold for $41.7 million (Average Price: $375,732).

Snitzel has made history with five special achievements in 2017:

• Equalling Danehill's single-season record of 26 Australian stakeswinners;
• Setting a new Australian record for stallion prizemoney in a season $16.1 million
• Siring the first Australian Group 1 2YO trifecta since 1982 (Invader, Summer Passage & Trapeze Artist in the 2017 ATC Inglis Sires' Produce S. G1);
• Claiming sole ownership of the Australian-sired 2YO winners record, with a season tally of 35
• Completing an unprecedented three-generation sequence of Champion Australian Sires: Danehill (9 titles), Redoute's Choice (2006, 2010, 2014) & Snitzel (2017).

Snitzel stands at Arrowfield Stud this spring and will doubtless be fully booked at a fee of $176,000, so for many broodmare owners the search is now on to find just which of his sire sons will be the one to make him as a sire of sires.

There are plenty of candidates to choose from, although his two Group I winning colts from this season –Invader and Russian Revolution– are slated to race on in 2017/ 2018.

Snitzel's Group I winning sons Shamus Award (Cox Plate, Australian Guineas) for Widden Stud and Sizzling (BRC TJ Smith) for Newgate Farm will both have their first two year-old runners in the spring.

Australian Guineas winner Wandjina (Newgate Farm) will have his first yearlings on sale in 2018 as will the ill-fated Time for War, who died after just two seasons at stud.

His Group II winning son Spill the Beans (Aquis Farm)was the busiest first season sire in Australia last spring, so will have plentiful babes born this spring, while new to the mix are Group III winner Sooboog, replacing Time for War at Kitchwin Hills and Group III winner Odyssey Moon, who retires to Twin Hills Stud.

The first son of Snitzel to stud was in fact Group II winner Salade, who has had limited opportunity and stands at Kingstar Farm.

From two small first crops totalling just 18 foals that are two and three year-olds, Salade has had three winners and two place-getters from seven runners.

 

Tara Madgwick - Monday, 31 July 2017 (Breednet)