By Kelsey Riley
Invader (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) cost his connections A$475,000 at last January's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and the colt's value will have increased significantly with an all-important juvenile Group 1 win for his international group of owners. That group includes Newgate SF, Aquis Farm, China Horse Club, Matthew Sandblom and WinStar Farm, a number of the same owners who struck gold with another stallion prospect just two weeks ago when Russian Revolution (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) won the G1 Galaxy S. It is also the latest stallion-making coup for trainers Peter and Paul Snowden who, in addition to Invader and Russian Revolution, trained last year's G1 Golden Slipper winner Capitalist (Aus) (Written Tycoon {Aus}) and Pride of Dubai (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}), the winner of this race two years ago.
Stepping up to 1400 metres for the first time, Invader settled on the fence about five lengths off the lead down the backstretch while favoured Frolic (Aus) (Husson {Arg}) raced in rear with just one behind. Beginning to make up ground as they passed the 600 metre mark, Invader was steered off the fence by Hugh Bowman for running room as they straightened for home. He hit high gear as he passed the 200-metre mark, roaring down the middle of the track to nip Summer Passage (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) and Trapeze Artist (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) in the dying strides, and thus leading home a trifecta for his sire. The Golden Slipper runner-up Frolic lacked the necessary kick in the lane and wound up seventh. The result was especially satisfying for the Snowden team, which had nursed the colt back from a foot bruise that saw him miss the Golden Slipper two weeks ago.
“This was a big team effort to get this horse to win today I tell ya,” Paul Snowden told Racenet.com.au. “It's been tough on everyone because he'd qualified for the Slipper and we thought he'd be in it up to his ears. Then a little 10 percenter strikes, which you've got no control over and everyone feels the disappointment. I couldn't count how many times he's had his foot in a bucket in the last two weeks. It's through the staff's hard work and persistence that we've got the result.”
Invader was regarded highly enough by his connections early on to be pitched first-up into the Listed Breeders' Plate last October, the race that produced consecutive Slipper winners in Vancouver (Aus) (Medagalia d'Oro) and Capitalist in addition to many other subsequently successful runners. Invader was fourth that day behind 'TDN Rising Star' Khan (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}). The chestnut was second behind another 'TDN Rising Star' in From Within (Aus) in a Canterbury maiden on New Year's Eve, and was fifth in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic on Jan. 14. Invader at last broke through a month later going 1200 metres at Randwick, and was last seen finishing a narrow second behind Gunnison (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) in the G2 Todman S. over the same track and trip on Mar. 4.
Pedigree Notes…
In addition to the Group 1 trifecta, Invader provided a group-race double on the card for his sire after Diddums (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) had won the G3 PJ Bell S. a race earlier. Invader is the second juvenile Group 1 winner this season for Snitzel, the country's leading general sire and 2-year-old sire by wins and prizemoney. He is the second stakes winner and first Group 1 winner for his dam, who is also responsible for Not Listenin'tome (Aus) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}), the winner of G3 Zeditave S. who was twice Group 1-placed in Australia before being exported to Hong Kong, where he has won the G2 Jockey Club S. Flame of Sydney was herself three times group placed, and she has a yearling filly by Snitzel and a colt foal by the same sire to come. Flame of Sydney will go through the ring at next week's Inglis Chairman's Sale-Elite Breeding Prospects session in foal to Medaglia d'Oro (lot 51).
Saturday, Royal Randwick, Australia
AJC SIRES' PRODUCE S.-G1, A$1,114,500 (US$850,419/£677,949/€798,118), ATC, 4-01, 2yo Open Set Weight, 1400mT, 1:26.15, Heavy.
1–#@&INVADER, 56.5, c, 2, by Snitzel
1st Dam: Flame of Sydney (SW & MGSP-Aus, $240,548),
by Encosta de Lago
2nd Dam: Flame of Atlanta (NZ), by Clay Hero
3rd Dam: Plans Awry (USA), by Topsider (USA)
(A$475,000 Ylg 2016 MM Gold Coast Yearling Sale).
O-Newgate S F (Mgr: G D Murphy), Aquis Farm (Mgr: Miss K A
Fogden), China Horse Club Racing Pty Ltd (Mgr: A K Teo), Horse
Ventures (Mgr: M B Sandblom) & Winstar Farm Llc (Mgr: J
Mull; B-Mr MA Pitt NSW; T-P & P Snowden; J-J Bowman;
A$699,500. Lifetime Record: 6-2-2-0, A$865,125. *1/2 to Not
Listenin'tome (Aus) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}), GSW & MG1SP-Aus,
GSW & G1SP-HK, $2,101,266. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple
Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Summer Passage, 56.5, c, 2, Snitzel–Subsequent, by Encosta
de Lago. (A$800,000 Ylg 2016 WI Sydney Easter Yearling Sale).
O-Hermitage Thoroughbreds Pty Ltd; B-Highgrove Stud QLD;
T-L O'Sullivan & A Scott; J-Z Purton; A$190,000.
3–Trapeze Artist, 56.5, c, 2, Snitzel–Treppes, by Domesday.
($A$250,000 RNA Ylg '16 INGAPR). O-B Vieira, Mrs S G Vieira, T
Vieira, Mrs C Vieira-Choy & J A Choy; B-Vieira Group Pty Ltd
NSW; T-G A Ryan; J-Tim Clark; A$100,000.
Margins: 3/4, 3/4, 2 3/4. Odds: 7.00, 15.00, 16.00.
Also Ran: Sircconi, Tulip, The Mission, Frolic, Veranillo, One More Honey, Menari, Astoria, Diamond Tathagata, Chauffeur, Aspect, Feng Chu, Single Bullet.
Scratched: Gunnison, Momento, Merchant Navy, Spencer.
Click for the Racing Post result, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. NSW Racing Video.
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