Peter Snowden is no stranger to winning the Sandown Guineas and the trainer is hoping to add to the tally.
Snowden won the Group Two Sandown Guineas with Caymans (2008), Kidnapped (2009), Tatra (2012) and Paximadia (2013) when he was head trainer for Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley operation in Australia.
In recent years he has formed a successful training partnership with his son Paul, who was his Melbourne foreman during the Darley stint, and on Saturday the stable has Hypnotist and Icon Of Dubai in the 1600m-feature for three-year-olds.
Peter Snowden said he would be disappointed if they were not competitive.
“They’re both going well,” Snowden said.
Hypnotist won his three starts as a juvenile earlier this year and is chasing his first win of this season in his fourth start of the spring.
He was fourth in the Group Three Spring Stakes (1600m) two starts ago before his ninth in the Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) at Flemington last Saturday week after drawing wide.
“He was wide throughout the whole race and he still ran on so I thought his run was actually pretty good,” Snowden said.
“He’s definitely going to get further but he looks a chance on paper. I don’t think it’s an overly strong race and it looks a race I think he’ll be competitive in.”
Icon Of Dubai is a half-brother to 2015 Blue Diamond Stakes and ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Pride Of Dubai who was trained by the Snowdens.
Icon Of Dubai broke his maiden by six lengths at Kembla Grange two starts ago before being unplaced in the Listed Poseidon Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield last month.
He will race in blinkers for the first time and was scratched from a Listed race last Saturday after drawing the widest barrier to be saved for the Guineas.
“He just got back in the field last start at Caulfield and just got lost,” Snowden said.
“I’m hoping with the blinkers on it will make him a bit more focused and race like I know he can.”
Snowden said the pair were different types of colts.
“Hypnotist will get a lot further. He’ll get 2000 metres whereas Icon Of Dubai is probably a sprinter-miler,” he said.
Kerrin McEvoy, who won on Caymans, Kidnapped, Tatra and Paximadia, has the ride on Hypnotist while Caulfield Guineas-winning jockey Michael Walker rides Icon Of Dubai.
Snitzepeg and Beau Geste share favouritism at $4.40 while Hypnotist is at $12 and Icon Of Dubai is at $13.
