Chauffeur (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), the 2016 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale topper at A$1.6 million, began to live up to his lofty price tag, winning a Rosehill handicap going 1100 metres on debut Saturday. Sent off as a 7-2 shot, the Gerald Ryan charge rated in third against the fence through the early going, while a bit rank. Niggled on by pilot Josh Parr on the far turn, the handsome bay began to cut into the leader's advantage up the inside with 400 metres to run, thrust his nose in front inside the final 50 metres, and held on to win by a head. Godolphin's favored Coorg (Aus) (Denman {Aus}) ran second. Chauffeur races for an ownership group including Damion Flower–who singled out the colt at the sales–John Singleton, Neil Werrett, Nick Vass and Brad Hunt.
“Last year when we were looking at the sales, he was as good a colt as I've seen anywhere,” Ryan commented to Racing and Sports. “Damion said, 'do the bidding on the big colt,' I said 'where do I stop?' and he said 'don't'.”
Chauffeur, who ran second in a 900-metre barrier trial on Tuesday, will next grace the racecourse Dec. 31, prior to a potential start in the Magic Millions 2-Year-Old Classic Jan. 14. The long-term goal for the Snitzel colt is the A$3.5 million G1 Golden Slipper in March.
Added a pleased Ryan, “They say the Slipper winner has got to win before Christmas–he has.”
Out of the 2005 1000-metre Emirates Gimcrack S. heroine Mirror Mirror (Aus) herself by U.S. juvenile champion Dehere, Chauffeur is a half-brother to Australian SW and G1 Blue Diamond S. runner-up No Looking Back (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}), who also ran second in the Magic Millions 2-Year-Old Classic. She was a A$500,000 purchase by Gai Waterhouse out of the 2011 Magic Million Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Click for the Racing NSW Chart and Video.
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