Trainer Gerald Ryan believes that Hot Snitzel is a genuine chance of causing an upset in the 2014 BTC Cup at Doomben on Saturday.
Hot Snitzel has the chance to record a maiden win at Group 1 level in the 2014 BTC Cup at Royal Randwick on Saturday. Photo by: Steve Hart
Hot Snitzel went closest to scoring a win at Group 1 level when he finished second as a two-year-old in the Group 1 T.J. Smith (1600m), at Eagle Farm on June 11, but is arguably in the form of his career after finishing second in the Group 3 Sebring Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on April 5 and winning the Group 3 Hall Mark Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on April 12.
Ryan told Racing Ahead this morning that he has been happy with the performances of the Snitzel gelding this preparation and is confident that the five-year-old will run a big race in the BTC Cup this Saturday.
“He is going up tonight,” Ryan said.
“He has done very well the horse; all this preparation I reckon he has been going better than he has in many other times of his career.
“He worked really nicely at Rosehill here this morning.
“If the rain does come it will bring him right into it.
“His slow track form is very good, he has had five goes on slow tracks for four wins, and the way that the horse is going you have a crack at this race.
“Some of the others may not be at their peak.
“The form around the horse is damn good and by the way that the race will be run up there and where he will be sitting, he is a good chance to perhaps score a bit of an upset.”
Ryan will also have Snitzerland in the 2014 BTC Cup field and the veteran trainer admitted that his original plan was to split up his two star sprinters and run Hot Snitzel under handicap conditions in the BRC Sprint (1350m) at Doomben next weekend.
“You would say that he is not a Group 1 weight-for-age horse, but now he has a higher rating,” Ryan said.
“The original plan prior to him winning at Randwick the other day was to go to the BRC Sprint over 1350 the following week, but I just think that he is going to cop too much weight.”
Hot Snitzel has been included in the nominations for both the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1350m) on May 24 and the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 7 and will contest both races if he performs well at the highest level of racing this weekend.
