News

Snitzerland Joins Fellow Inglis Graduate Black Caviar

15th Feb 2014

Super quick mare Snitzerland joined fellow Inglis graduate Black Caviar on the winners list of Australia’s premier speed test with victory in the Gr.1 VRC Lightning Stakes over 1000m at Flemington on Saturday.

The prestigious race was renamed the ‘Black Caviar Lightning Stakes’ this year in honour of the undefeated mare’s three consecutive wins in the event from 2011 to 2013. Other Inglis graduates to win the Lightning in recent years include Choisir, Takeover Target and Fastnet Rock.

Snitzerland (Snitzel x Monte Rosa) was a very fitting winner of today’s running as she is part-owned by Neil Werrett, who is also the major owner of Black Caviar. Both mares were purchased from the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.

“It’s been quite a day. To name a race after Black Caviar then to win it is a great thrill,” said Werrett.

It was on the advice of Kitchwin Hills’ manager Mick Malone that Werrett and Steve McCann got involved in Snitzerland after she sold for $125,000 from the draft of Bellerive Stud at the 2011 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale

“Mick Malone bought her for me and [trainer] Gerald Ryan has managed her very well. People forget that she ran second in a Golden Slipper, but to get the result today is just brilliant,” added Werrett.

By Australia’s current leading sire Snitzel from Monte Rosa, Snitzerland has raced 17 times for eight wins and four seconds. Her first Group 1 victory today takes Snitzerland’s prizemoney to $1,874,500.

A filly that will try to go one better than Snitzerland managed in this year’s Golden Slipper is Mossfun, which was the winner of the Gr.3 ATC Widden Stakes at Rosehill today.

Mossfun (Mossman x Eye For Fun) was having her first run since a debut victory in the $250,000 RL Inglis Nursery in December and with that added experience the juvenile dashed away with the Widden in professional style over fellow Inglis graduate Ygritte.

The daughter of Mossman was an $85,000 purchase from the draft of Fairview Park Stud out of Session II of the 2013 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale by Emirates Park Stud, whose CEO Trevor Lobb has been delighted with Mossfun ever since.

“She has done everything right since we bought her. She is a real racehorse. We won the Inglis Nursery and the plan was always to put her away and get her ready for this race and then aim up towards the big ones,” said Lobb.

The world’s richest two-year-old race is the $3.5 million Group 1 ATC Golden Slipper, which will be run over 1200m at Rosehill on Saturday 5 April this year.

Mossfun will be aiming to be the 21st Inglis graduate to win the time honoured juvenile feature.

The 2014 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale will then start just three days later on Tuesday 8 April and run for three days, finishing on Thursday 10 April.

550 lots have been catalogued for this year’s Easter Sale including the half-brother by Magic Albert to Mossfun that will be offered by Fairview Park Stud as Lot 523 and the brother of Snitzerland which will be offered by Arrowfield Stud as Lot 118.

Snitzel is represented by 17 yearlings in the Easter catalogue. There are also 18 lots by the leading sire catalogued for the upcoming 2014 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale on 2, 3, 4 and 5 March.

Other stallions with stakes winners in Australia on Saturday that are represented in both the Melbourne Premier and Sydney Easter Sales include Choisir, Mossman, Street Cry, Fastnet Rock and Northern Meteor.

In fact 188 yearlings to be auctioned by Inglis in the next two months are by stallions that were the sires of stakes winner at Rosehill Gardens or Flemington today.

All catalogues for Inglis’ upcoming sales can be viewed online at www.inglis.com.au for the online catalogue which is also available on the Inglis Sales iPad app. Hard-copy catalogues can be requested by email to catalogue@inglis.com.au