A brilliant sprinting display by three year old Snitzerland saw the filly set a new track record in winning the Group 2 $175,000 Challenge Stakes (1000m) at Warwick Farm today.
Snitzerland sets new track record winning the Challenge Stakes at Warwick Farm. Photo by Steve Hart.
Snitzerland stopped the clock at 56.16 seconds to write her name into the record books with a decisive win over the hard finishing No Decision with Howmuchdoyouloveme showing his best form for a while by finishing third, a head in front of warhorse Hay List.
Trainer Gerald Ryan produced Snitzerland in top order first up and once heads were turned for home the heavily back favourite was never in any trouble of being beaten.
“She’s very quick,” Ryan said.
“Today was probably her biggest test. I threw her in the deep end at the end of her preparation in the Patinack last year and she was probably going off but she ran terrific.”
“She’s come back a better filly, a stronger filly and she went into this race today fitter than any other first up runs before.”
“I was surprised Hay List went with her but she kicked off the corner, maintained it all the way to the line and ran a track record in doing it.”
Snitzerland is living up to her early two year old form when second to Pierro in last year’s Group 1 $3.5m AAMI Golden Slipper (1200m) and her Spring form when she won four in a row before coming to the end of her preparation.
Winning jockey Corey Brown had Snitzerland out of the barriers quickly and when the field sorted itself out was sitting outside of Hay List who worked to the front.
Brown was sitting pretty coming into the straight and once he got the better of Hay List, Snitzerlaand had the race in her keeping.
“I travelled really sweetly, once she got into the straight and Hay List was dropping off I was sort of getting there too soon, I knew she was always going to have a good kick,” Brown said.
“When I released her at about the three hundred I thought that they would have to be really good to come off me back and beat me.”
Snitzerland was heavily backed on course to start the $3.30 favourite and scored by two and three quarter lengths from $19 chance Decision Time with Howmuchdoyouloveme ($10) half a length away in third spot.
Hay List ($4.20) ran a mighty race at his first run for almost twelve months and after racing in the lead with Snitzerland sitting outside him, fought hard in the straight until his condition gave out at the hundred metre mark.
