News

Hot youngster shapes up right for Ryan

13th Dec 2010

Sydney Morning Herald - Craig Young - Sunday, 12 December 2010

ALL-ROUND horseman Gerald Ryan cannot help but like the Snitzel stock, even such greenhorns as Hot Snitzel, which dominated betting on the opener at Rosehill yesterday. Punters taking the odds-on had little cause for concern.

''If he does all right I'll back him up next week in the Inglis race at Randwick. It is worth a quarter of a million dollars,'' Ryan said shortly after Hot Snitzel's win on debut.

Last year's Inglis Nursery at Randwick was taken out by Chance Bye, another by Snitzel. Ryan found Snitzel as a baby and the sprinter, despite being beaten as favourite in the 2005 Golden Slipper, won at group 1 level before being retired.

Advertisement: Story continues below Hot Snitzel was purchased for $60,000. Ryan described the youngster ''as a work in progress'' which ''is going the right way''.

''He still has got plenty to learn,'' Ryan said. ''I was originally going to go straight into next week's race but he needed another trial and I thought I can run him here.''

Unlike barrier trials - of which Hot Snitzel has had two without picking up a cent in prizemoney - yesterday he romped home under jockey Corey Brown, earning connections $42,000.

''He's a hard little ride,'' Brown said, referring to Hot Snitzel throwing his head to the side and wanting to run about, even though he surged from the outside barrier to lead on the fence.

''I knew he was going to be but he was a lot better today.''

Brown believes Hot Snitzel ''is a jump and run horse'' and was more than happy when eventual runner-up Out Of The Shadow loomed shortly after straightening.

''He wanted to hang in bad and I pulled the stick through to the right hand but then thought he was going to shoot off the track,'' Brown said. ''I put it back in the left hand. He wasn't going to get off the rail.''

Ryan has won three juvenile races already this season, two of them with his Snitzel filly, Saramenha. Another of the stock, Schiffer, finished second in a Magic Millions race at Wyong last Sunday.

There are 12 Snitzel juveniles at Ryan's Rosehill stable but few would be as tough as Hot Snitzel. ''You couldn't hurt him with a crowbar,'' Ryan said.