The Golden Slipper is just seven weeks away and given their record of success with two-year-olds, it is no surprise Peter and Paul Snowden will have a strong hand in Sydney’s first juvenile black-type races of the year at Rosehill.
While Counteroffensive has been scratched from the Canonbury Stakes (1100m) to run in Melbourne, the Snowdens will saddle up two of the remaining seven runners, led by the resuming Fearless.
A son of first season sire Pierata, Fearless was spelled after finishing fourth on debut in the Breeders’ Plate last spring and has won his two lead-up trials, the first when pulling himself forward to sit outside the leader and the latter when he came from back in the field.
Paul Snowden confirmed the colt would be ridden conservatively on Saturday in the hope it will allow him to produce his finishing sprint.
“Contrary to the first trial he had when he was up on speed and doing a little bit too much within himself, he relaxed well and hit the line extremely well in his latest trial, so he will be ridden accordingly,” Paul Snowden said.
“He’s a lovely horse. He did a lot of things wrong (in the Breeders’ Plate) and still ran quite well, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do.
“He’s pretty forward and he’s got a bit of class so that will take him a long way.”
Stablemate King Of Roseau heads to the Canonbury with the benefit of two recent runs under his belt.
A winner on debut at Canberra, he dug deep to hold second behind all-the-way winner Fully Lit at Rosehill last start to earn a shot at Saturday’s Group 3 race.
“King Of Roseau, he’s done nothing wrong. He battled away well the other day, he was dictated to by the horse up on speed and it quickened very quickly for him,” Snowden said.
“He was left a bit flat-footed but he was strong through the line. He’s a tough horse who continues to do well in the stable.”
The Snowdens’ debutante Wave Breaker adds interest to what is shaping as a competitive edition of the Widden Stakes (1100m).
A trial winner at Canterbury in January, she wasn’t asked to extend when third behind colts Fearless and Bodyguard in her most recent hitout.
While Saturday is another test again against the likes of Gimcrack Stakes winner Manaal and Tulloch Lodge duo Lady Of Camelot and Alinea, Snowden expects Wave Rider to at least hold her own.
“She’s resuming in a pretty talented field, but she deserves to get to this sort of race at this sort of level,” he said.
“Like all of them, they’ve got to put their hand up. Trials are one thing, race day pressure is totally different.
“But she is ready to be put under that and if she’s good enough, she will run well.
“We’re going in there to, if we can’t win, run a hole.”
