Chris Waller has taken a softly softly approach with his high-priced Snitzel colt Snowman, and it is reaping dividends.
Beaten less than two lengths behind his star stablemate Militarize in a 1200m 2yo maiden at Canterbury in February when on debut, Snowman had won nothing more than a Kembla maiden in four subsequent starts. But he could not have been any more impressive when belting his stablemate Riff Rocket (American Pharoah) over 1800m at Rosehill on Wednesday.
Ridden by Joao Moreira, Snowman kept up a relentless gallop, which encouraged Waller to take the quantum step up to stakes grade.
“It’s the time of year when you can experiment a little with these 3-year-olds to take the next step. He will probably go to the Gloaming; whether he is good enough to win it, I don’t know, but that is where he is heading,” Waller said.
“Likewise, the second horse will probably get further than 1800m.
“So many races are dominated on speed nowadays, and you need to have that turn of foot.”
A $650,000 purchase for Chris Waller Racing/Mulcaster Bloodstock from the Strawberry Hill Stud draft at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Snowman is a three-quarter-brother to stakes-placed Joyous Legend.
He is the first foal of the winning Frankel mare Women a daughter of the 8-time Group 1 winning champion More Joyous.
Highway Farm (Yulong) purchased Woman, in foal to Home Affairs, for $575,000 at the recent Strawberry Hill Stud Unreserved Dispersal, while Orchard Hill snapped up Woman’s filly foal by Fastnet Rock for $100,000.
