Sheeza Belter is certainly living up to her name, according to trainer Peter Snowden.
The veteran conditioner was thrilled with her last-start victory by almost half a length in the Group 2 Hot Danish Stakes at Rosehill on November 5.
The star filly is now being freshened, and Snowden now believes she can be competitive first-up in the Group 1 Surround Stakes at Randwick on February 25 next year.
Indeed, Sheeza Belter has the runs on the board after saluting in both the Group 2 Sires’ Produce Stakes and Group 1 JJ Atkins in Brisbane in May and June, respectively.
2022 Group 1 JJ Atkins replay – Sheeza Belter (1st)
“She’s a great filly. Very, very good filly,” Snowden told HorseBetting.com.au.
“We’ve had some things go wrong with her this preparation, but we managed to get her back on track.
“She won a good race last start. She’s very talented.
“She’ll come back and the main target will be the Surround Stakes for her when she comes back in.
“She’ll probably have two runs before it. She’ll only have a short freshen-up.”
Two other fillies who are also impressing in the Peter and Paul Snowden stable are Pierossa and My Whisper.
Both are also last-start winners, Pierossa taking out the Group 3 Newcastle Jockey Club Spring Stakes on November 12.
2022 Group 3 NJC Spring Stakes replay – Pierossa (1st)
And Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Mark Zahra steered My Whisper to a half-length victory in the Summoned Stakes at Caulfield on November 26, also at Group 3 level.
“Both horses have gone out to paddock,” Snowden said.
“Pierossa ends up at an Oaks maybe in winter in Brisbane.
“And the other filly might have a crack at a Doncaster next time in.
“They’re good fillies, especially My Whisper. She’s a Frankel filly and she’ll keep getting better and better.”
Indeed, Snowden has a talent for identifying young horses with plenty of potential.
He said the secret was simple.
“They tell you, really. You just try to do the right things by them and give them all a chance,” he said.
“The good ones just keep putting their hands up.”
Ranges has also enjoyed a consistent year for the Snowdens, a highlight being his three-quarter-length victory in the Listed Ramornie Handicap at Grafton on July 13.
As a result, the six-year-old will start over 1200m on the Magic Millions Raceday on the Gold Coast on January 14.
“Ranges got himself a ticket to Queensland. He’ll go to the Gold Coast – he’s a Magic Millions horse now,” Snowden said.
“He always was one, but never good enough to go.
“Now he’s earned a spot and he’ll be there.
“In a restricted race, he’s a Group 2 sprinter. He’s won Listed races.
“He’s at least a Group 2 horse, and that might be good enough to get a cheque up there.”
And despite not winning in four starts last preparation, Mazu’s performances across September and October were also among this year’s highlights for the Snowden stable.
The four-year-old’s third place in the $15 million Everest on October 15 was immense, and he was then runner-up to Joe Pride’s elite sprinter Private Eye in the Nature Strip Stakes two weeks later.
Winning the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 worth $1 million on May 14 was Mazu’s highlight of the year.
2022 Group 1 Doomben 10,000 replay – Mazu (1st)
“He’s a horse on the rise. He did a good job his first prep (winning three from three starts), and he kept getting better and better,” Snowden said.
“Even though he didn’t win a race last preparation, he showed he’s up to it against really good horses.
“Second (in the Premiere Stakes), beaten by a head. Next start in The Everest he ran a very close third.
“The barrier probably cost him a bit there.
“Last race of the series he got beaten by (Private Eye) who was really flying.
“Every race he had was at a really good level, and he was competitive in every one of them.”
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