Lot 227 Snitzel - Milunka Bay Colt

Lot 227 bay colt Snitzel – Milunka (All Too Hard) $200,000 (draft: Curraghmore Stud)

By the four-time Champion Sire in Australia, Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice), who serves so well the trilogy of Danehill – Redoute’s Choice – Snitzel, which is unrivalled in great Australian thoroughbreds.

Snitzel was the Leading Sire of Two-Year-Olds four times and also been leading Australian Sire of earnings worldwide.

Snitzel is the sire Champion Two-Year-Old and now Cambridge Stud sire Sword Of State, whom David Ellis also purchased as a yearling.

Dual winning dam Milunka is by proven sire All Too Hard (Casino Prince), a half-brother to unbeaten Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) and sire of Queensland Horse of the Year and seven-time Group One winner Alligator Blood.

The illustrious dam side of the family is very well known by Te Akau, through the outstanding deeds of grand-dam Distinctive Lass (Orientate).

“We love buying from this family, have had plenty of success, and to buy a Snitzel colt with this sort of pedigree for that price is quite incredible,” Ellis said.

“There are a lot of similarities to other family members we have bought and trained, and it’s just an incredible family of horses that love racing and winning.”

From the same draft (Curraghmore Stud), Ellis purchased 1000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) winner Kahma Lass (Darci Brahma), a subsequent stakes winner at Caulfield, stakes placed winner of three Wairau Cove (Darci Brahma), and big winner Distinctive Darci (Darci Brahma).

A smart four-length trial winner on debut at Te Aroha, Distinctive Darci transferred to Mark Walker in Singapore, winning 11 races, including a Group Two, and over NZ$1 million in prize money.

Dam Milunka is also a half-brother Kuro (Denman), winner of five stakes races in a total of eight wins, and Southern Lad (Ocean Park) also won seven in Australia, while, overall, Distinctive Lass has produced eight individual winners of 36 races.

In addition, Ellis purchased five-time Group One winner and Champion Sire Darci Brahma (Danehill) as a yearling at Karaka, and the mating with Distinctive Lass has worked extraordinarily well.

Fourth dam, Special (Habituate), won 10 races including three Group One, all at Flemington: Newmarket Handicap (Gr. 1, 1200m), Lightning Stakes (Gr. 1, 1000m) and the Gadsden Stakes (Gr. 1, 1200m).

At stud, Special produced 14 foals, 10 raced and nine were winners.

A total of 13 stakes winners and eight stakes-placed performers descend from Sal II (Sallust), the dam of Special.

The colt carries a cross of Danehill through his sire lines and Snippets on the sire line of Snitzel and dam line of All Too Hard.