SNIPPETS MARE, ANYONE?

The Winning Post’s Tara Madgwick has this week profiled Bel Esprit flyer, Bel Sprinter and take a close look at Bel Esprit’s affinity with Snippets.

Bel Esprit might be without his flagbearer Black Caviar this spring, but he does have a handy second-stringer in Bel Sprinter, who resumed from a spell to score a powerful win in the Group 3 McEwen Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley last Saturday.

The Jason Warren-trained speedster jumped well for Ben Melham and sped through to be second before accelerating in the straight to score a half-length win in the 1000 metre dash.

(Just a 1/10^th of a second outside Miss Andretti’s course record).

Bel Sprinter will be given his chance at Group One success later in the spring with the Manikato Stakes (1200m) at the Valley on Cox Plate eve pencilled in as a likely target.

Retained to race, Bel Sprinter has the impressive record of six wins from 10 starts with more than $400,000 in prizemoney. He is the first foal of Snippets mare Gavroche, who comes from an imported family featuring Australian Group One winner Always Aloof.

Cornerstone Stud sold a Bel Esprit colt from Gavroche at Magic Millions earlier this year to Jason Warren for $140,000, so the connections will be hoping this fellow is as good as his big brother.

(A 3YO half sister to Bel Sprinter – by Shinzig – has been named Original Sin and last month won a trial, very impressively, for Trevor Andrews in Perth).

Interestingly, both Black Caviar and Bel Sprinter carry the blood of Snippets on their dam side. Bel Sprinter is from a mare by Snippets while Black Caviar is from Helsinge, a mare whose dam, Scandinavia, is by Snippets.

The Bel Esprit x Snippets cross has been remarkably successful, producing 10 runners to date, nine of them winners. Two of those, Bel Sprinter and Vivacious Spirit, are stakes winners.

There have been a further three winners from three runners bred by Bel Esprit from mares sired by sons of Snippets including good metropolitan winner Waltzes, adding further merit to the cross.

Taking it a step further again and looking at the Black Caviar example, i.e. Bel Esprit over mares whose dams are by Snippets, and we find seven to race for six winners. Among those, Black Caviar is joined by stakes winner City of Song and Group Two placegetter Audacious Spirit.

There seems to be an undeniable affinity between Bel Esprit and Snippets based on these statistics, something well worth considering for broodmare owners of mares carrying Snippets blood.

Bel Esprit (below) stands at Eliza Park at a fee of $27,500 alongside his son Moshe, a full brother to Black Caviar on $6600.