Oakland Park 2yo filly Snitzalatte set the bar high for every other winner at Ascot’s marathon midweek meeting last Wednesday in the Wittens Irrigation & Design Maiden (1000m).
The beautifully-bred daughter of four-time Champion Australian Sire Snitzel (Danehill) and Macchiato (O’Reilly) opened the 12-race card with a resounding victory on debut under Willie Pike. She went out a $1.50 favourite and overcame a slow getaway with the aid of the cutaway rail to defeat Pygmalion (Maschino) and Call Me Invincible (I Am Invincible).
Adam Durrent trains Snitzalatte for Oakland Park’s Neville and Susan Duncan and Beard Holdings. “Adam was really confident she was ready,” stable foreman Jordan Rolfe confirmed. “She’s a well-bred filly and it’s good to see the form franked out of her trial win at Pinjarra last Monday.
“We were happy to fill up at $1.80 and I guess we should roll it straight over into the Karrakatta Plate.” Bookmakers immediately firmed Snitzalatte into $21 for the G2 Karrakatta Plate (1200m) at Ascot on April 26.
“She’s a natural with a good action and she can quicken,” Pike said after letting the newcomer coast to the line against a small field of other untested youngsters. “She can be a hot under the hood and was a bit cantankerous in the gates. She wasn’t the best away but I knew the cutaway would be right up my alley!”
The Duncans purchased Snitzalatte’s third-dam Prohurst (Protos) from Capel-based breeder Tom Forrest in 1995 and they hit the motherlode before selling Prohurst on to Bernie Stephens in 2000.
The first of two fillies they bred was G3 WA Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) winner Paradise Park (Bletchley Park) and the best of her six winners was Grand Nirvana (Scenic) who landed five Group 3 victories and five Listed victories in the silks made famous by Northerly.
Macchiato wasn’t among those half-dozen but she’s following the family lead with Snitzalatte her fourth winner following Dinga (Safeguard), Son Son (Rogano) and Mocha Dream (Dream Ahead).
La Sirenuse (Barathea) was other filly from Prohurst and she claimed celebrity status of her own winning a G3 Carlyon Cup (1600m) at Caulfield defeating Group 1 flyer Regal Roller (Regal Classic) and Melbourne Cup heroine Makye Diva (Desert King).