Snowden eyes stallion potential in Royal Ascot-bound Cannonball
Three-year-old son of Capitalist and Coolangatta continued their preparations for next week’s King’s Stand Stakes with an on-course gallop yesterday
In a long and decorated training career, Peter Snowden has built a reputation for cultivating the stud careers of some of Australia’s most precocious equine talent, a feat no more exemplified than when delivering the James Harron-owned Capitalist (Written Tycoon) to Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) glory in 2016, sparking the start of a lucrative place in the breeding shed, and next week it could be a son of the now Newgate Farm stallion – carrying those familiar two-tone green silks – to be the next on the conveyor belt of sire prospects and deliver Snowden one of his greatest triumphs, halfway across the world.
Snowden has won much that there is to win in Australia – a clean sweep of the juvenile Group 1s and a dual Everest (1200m) winner, the ‘stallion maker’ has deftly handled the elite racing careers of many a breed-shaping sire, from which the likes of Harron, as well as his Newgate Farm colts syndicate counterparts, have profited greatly.
As the Australian breeding industry zoned in on speed, Snowden became the go-to man to train the fastest.
But while the Group 3-winning Cannonball emerged to many as a left-field candidate to travel to Royal Ascot and take on the best Europe has to offer in the King’s Stand Stakes (Gr 1, 5f), Snowden has his eyes on propelling the stud career of the son of Capitalist when he takes on Tuesday’s Group 1 sprint, for what will be the trainer’s first runner at the famous royal meeting.
A veteran of ten starts for three wins, the form of southern hemisphere three-year-old Cannonball may not, at first glance, strike fear into the hearts of the Europeans, but he has had just two starts for Peter and Paul Snowden since switching to their Sydney stable earlier this year, with the colt’s dangerous progression hidden under the veil of his overall race record.
“This guy’s a colt and any black type over here would be gold,” said Snowden, who trains in partnership with his son Paul. “He’s already Group 1-placed and a stakes winner in Australia, but to win here and heading back home, being a dual hemisphere stallion, it would mean the world to [James Harron].
“He’s risen up the ladder pretty quickly – he won a stakes race at Rosehill in a very fast time and backed up a week later in a Group 1 and probably should have won – but he hasn’t won a Group 1 race himself.
“I hope he’s flying under the radar. I quite like the horse and I think he’ll definitely make it [as a stallion]. It’s a 1000-metre race; it’s about speed and being tough, and he has both of those in spades.”
Snowden, meticulous as ever in his preparation, strapped Cannonball as the relaxed, muscular colt strode around the Ascot parade ring prior to his on-course ‘blow-out’ yesterday morning, and as a final lick of paint was applied to the surrounding Ascot furniture ahead of next week’s showpiece, the trainer added his concluding polish to $975,000 Magic Millions graduate Cannonball, who worked yesterday down the famous Ascot straight.
Cannonball, as well as dual Group 1-winning filly Coolangatta (Written Tycoon), who galloped prior to the colt alongside her travelling companion So Chic (Exceed And Excel), will be aiming to claim back-to-back wins for Australia in the King’s Stand Stakes, following Nature Strip’s (Nicconi) rampant victory 12 months ago.
However, while Snowden acknowledged that with that success comes expectation, he is not harbouring any extra pressure with his 8-1 chance, who made all to land the Maurice McCarten Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at Rosehill in March before backing up a week later to finish third behind Mariamia (Toronado) in The Galaxy (Gr 1, 1100m).
“He’s quite a gross colt, so he needed that. He got here on Friday and he’s had a couple of easy days,” Snowden said. “He may need a little bit of work Saturday morning and he’ll be ready to go.
“He’s handled this trip over here like it’s nothing, and that’s going to play a big part come next Tuesday.
“It’s great to be here. Everyone knows Ascot and everyone knows this week.
“The King’s Stand is a big race which the Aussies have done well in, so there’s a bit of expectation that comes with that, but we’re here to give it a good shot.”
Ciaron Maher was pleased with the work of Coolangatta, who was ridden by James McDonald during yesterday’s straight-track hit-out, believing she had come on considerably since what was perceived to be a disappointing jump-out effort at Flemington on May 29.
Having appeared laboured in that effort on a soft track in Melbourne, Coolangatta skipped clear of her work partner in the closing stages of yesterday’s gallop, showing her sparkle ahead of next week’s assignment.
“The idea was to bring Coolangatta here and have a look at the whole surrounds,” Maher said.
“We did a bit of paddock schooling and then had a nice look at the track. She stretched nicely to the line and James said she took quite a while to pull up. He was beaming about the work and it was everything I wanted to see. She has really thrived since being here – she is in the very quiet surrounds of Lambourn – and she was in need of a nice hit out to keep a lid on her.
“In the jump-out at Flemington, she ran her second fastest half-mile that she has ever run. I still cannot get my head around it, but I guess that is why we have the E-Trakkas and stuff on them, because trials can be deceiving. The track was quite damp and, although she ran well as a two-year-old on a damp track, there were a lot of good horses in that trial – but James said it was the weirdest jump-out that he has ever been in. Hopefully, it was just that, because she has thrived since then.”
Maher, who trained Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock) before the colt’s success at Royal Ascot under the tutelage of Aidan O’Brien, claimed, in partnership with David Eustace, an 11th Group 1 win of the season when juvenile colt King Colorado (Kingman) won last Saturday’s JJ Atkins Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) at Eagle Farm.
While conceding his filly might not yet be at the same level as last year’s King’s Stand Stakes hero Nature Strip, Maher said the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) winner is continuing to improve, describing her as ‘immature’ right up to the start of her three-year-old career.
“I was just as keen as anyone to get over here and have a crack at it,” Maher said.
“There are not a lot of five-furlong races at this level, even at home. Coolangatta is good when fresh and, even after her win in the Lightning Stakes, I still feel she is a filly that is developing. We think she is the right horse for Ascot and my training partner Dave Eustace knows his way around here.
“Winning here would be huge. We have had a very good season at home and this would be the icing on the top should it come to fruition.”