Snitzel - New Winner

The $5million Group I ATC Golden Slipper (1200m) was seen as a lottery this year with no clear standouts going into the race and luck in running seen as essential with that scenario played out in full with Snitzel filly Marhoona winning by a head over highly rated Wootton Bassett (GB) colt Wodeton with the favourite Tempted a close third beaten three-quarters of a length.

The West Australian breeding ranks were boosted in 2023 by the arrival of three superbly bred stallions – Aysar (Deep Field), Lightsaber (Zoustar) and Marine One (Capitalist) – and the trio have strong representation at the Perth Magic Millions Yearling Sale which kicks off on Thursday.

Herald Sun Caulfield Charity Family Day recorded its highest attendance in more than a decade on Saturday, with 9,438 racegoers attending Caulfield for the Melbourne Racing Club’s flagship community race day.

The 1400m three year-old maiden at Warwick Farm on Wednesday was the first race on the program and also produced a debut winner in Satirically, who is the first foal of multiple Group winning mare Paradee.

The Group One Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday is the second of the major autumn sprints in Melbourne and race favourite Point Barrow did not get the ideal barrier, drawing 10 in the final field of 14.

Trial watchers were well awake to the potential of well bred Snitzel filly Marhoona following her two trial victories in Sydney last month and she duly took that form to race day to post a debut win at Canterbury on Friday night.

The first foals by Mr Mozart are on the ground, and the reports from breeders have been overwhelmingly positive.

Making his debut off a recent barrier trial victory, Anthony and Sam Freedman’s 2yo colt Wolf Gap defeated the favourite at Warwick Farm on Wednesday, becoming the first Australian winner for Kingman’s European Champion Miler Palace Pier (GB).

Widden Stud’s gorgeous stallion Russian Camelot (IRE) is a showstopper in the looks department and promising three year-old Veyepee is stamped very much in his image and posted his second win from as many starts at Caulfield on Wednesday.

Having not been seen on race day since her success in the Group 1 ATC Golden Slipper (1200m), Champion 2YO Marhoona (Snitzel) put pay to any ‘Golden Slipper hoodoo’ to win the Listed ATC Heritage Stakes (1100m) at her first start at 3.