Three days after Sir Patrick Hogan was farewelled with a funeral service in Hamilton, the legendary New Zealand breeder’s influence was yet again felt in black-type company as Snapper scored a bold front-running victory in the Gr.3 Standish Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday.
The A$250,000 sprint feature was the first stakes success for Snapper, who was bred by Sir Patrick in partnership with his wife Lady Justine Hogan. A son of Power and the stakes-placed One Cool Cat mare Onlyarose, Snapper was a $60,000 purchase by Paul Moroney Bloodstock and Ballymore Stables from Book 1 at Karaka 2019.
On Saturday he picked up the sixth win of his 22-start career and took his earnings past A$450,000, dominating the race from the front and kicking away again when challenged inside the final 200m. Despite rider Jye McNeil dropping his whip, the five-year-old gelding was comfortably holding his rivals at bay and won by three-quarters of a length.
“He had quite an easy time of it in front, and he got into a really good rhythm, which allowed us to do that,” McNeil said. “He was presented in great order today and raced accordingly.
“The connections were a little bit unsure about him down the straight here at Flemington today, so I had it in the back of my mind not to feel for him too soon.
“I ended up dropping my whip and making a bit of a mess of things near the end, but we got the number in the frame and that’s the main thing. By that point of the race, he was holding them very well anyway.”
Snapper is trained by trans-Tasman horseman Mike Moroney and began his career in New Zealand, where his three starts as a two-year-old included a placing behind Need I Say More in the Gr.3 Waikato Stud Slipper (1200m) at Matamata.
Transferred across the Tasman for his three-year-old season, Snapper scored back-to-back wins in February of 2021 and again in February and March of 2022. His first win as a five-year-old came during the Melbourne Cup carnival in early November, and Saturday’s stakes success has put him on a path towards even bigger things.
“That was a good effort,” assistant trainer Glen Thompson said. “He was a bit below par last time (seventh at Flemington on December 17), and Mike thought he might have been a little bit underdone. He had him spot on today.
“His work was enormous on Tuesday, and we’ve seen the best of him today. He won multiple races last preparation, and he’s come back very well this time.
“He’s well above average and is going to go through the grades and probably end up in better races than this.”
