Lot 398 Snitzel - Harlow Gold (NZ), Bay Or Brown Colt

Lot 398 bay or brown colt Snitzel – Harlow Gold (Tavistock) - draft: Glenlogan Park

The colt is by four-time Champion Sire in Australia, and four-time Champion Two-Year-Old Sire, Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice), one of three in the trilogy of breed shaping champion stallions in Australia, along with Danehill (Danzig), and Redoute’s Choice (Danehill), and stands at Arrowfield Stud for $247,500 + GST.

Snitzel is also a sire of sires, led by Group One winners Russian Revolution, Shamus Award, Trapeze Artist, and Sword Of State, the latter purchased as a yearling by David Ellis to become Champion Two-Year-Old, who set things alight with sales of his first crop yearlings at Magic Millions and Karaka. 

Sword Of State (Snitzel), whose first offerings sold for $380,000, $375,000, & $340,000, earlier in January at the Magic Millions Yearling Sales on the Gold Coast, had a top price of $540,000 at Karaka.

Te Akau recently recorded a trifecta with Snitzel colts purchased last year by Ellis, when unbeaten Return To Conquer secured his third stakes win on end in the Matamata Slipper (Gr. 3, 1200m) on 15 February, defeating debut winner He Who Dares, and dual winner To Bravery Born. 

Return To Conquer subsequently won the Sistema Stakes (Gr. 1, 1200m), to remain unbeaten in four starts, and push for Champion Two-Year-Old honours.

Dam Harlow Gold was a dual winner to 1600 metres and Group One placed in both the VRC Oaks (Gr. 1, 2500m) and Vinery Stud Stakes (Gr. 1, 2000m), while at stud, her first foal Chairman (Snitzel) won three races.

Harlow Gold is a sister to talented gallopers Weissmuller (Handsome Ransom), a Group Three winner of eight races, and Travolta (Handsome Ransom), who won six times including two stakes’ victories.

It is also the family of dual Group One winning sprinter Roch ‘N’ Horse (Per Incanto).

Dam sire Tavistock (Montjeu), dual Group One winner and noted sire of (six) international Derby winners, added terrific quality to the New Zealand stallion ranks, producing robust and hardy horses with tough qualities and the ability to accelerate (quicken) at the business end, a trait for which he was heralded as a racehorse.

“He’s an outstanding colt, classically stamped with all the qualities of his sire, Snitzel, and would have to be among the top colts I’ve seen on any sales grounds in the past 12 months,” Ellis said.

“He’s really imposing, fills the eye, great conformation, and we were absolutely delighted to be able to buy him.

“He just looks a natural two-year-old, a big powerful boy, with the quality to be a Golden Slipper colt if everything went to plan.

“He’ll be trained by Mark Walker at our stable at Cranbourne (Victoria), and I know the team there will be very excited to have a colt of this quality to work with.

“He’s a stunner and it’s hard not to be get ahead of ourselves, but he really does possess all the right attributes.”

The colt carries a Danzig (Northern Dancer) cross on the sire line of Snitzel and through the dam line of Harlow Gold.