She might have a few obstacles in front of her named Rothfire, Vilana and Paulele, but in typical Aussie spirit Sniparoochy will “have a crack” at Winterbottom Stakes glory at Ascot on Saturday.
In her biggest test yet at Group 1 level, the four-year-old mare and $26 outsider with horse betting sites carries plenty of confidence into the $1.5 million feature sprint over 1200m.
This is why trainer Stephen Miller believes she can compete in such a star-studded field, after her one-length triumph in the Jungle Mist Classic over the same distance last Saturday.
“She’s going good. She pulled up well and we’re having a crack at it,” he told HorseBetting.com.au.
Also read: Winterbottom Stakes tips for November 26
“For sure, it’s going to be pretty difficult, but I’m hopeful.
“This is a hard race, but she drew a good barrier (one), so we’ll see where she’s at.”
Miller is thrilled at how far Sniparoochy has come since a serious injury picked up in the Magic Millions WA 2YO Classic at Pinjarra Park on February 6 last year.
That resulted in her being sidelined for eight months.
She understandably did not return to her best straight away, but Sniparoochy gradually built strong form, and 2022 has been an excellent year for her.
The sprinter has won six from 10 starts this year.
“She’s always had ability. She had her injury as a two-year-old and it took her a while to get over it,” Miller said.
“But once she got her confidence, she started running the way I thought she could run.
“As a two-year-old in the Magic Millions, she cracked her bone in her back end.
“She went out and came back in and didn’t really fire.
“Then we gave her a good spell and she fired after that.”
It has been such an impressive recovery that Miller is now looking at stepping up Sniparoochy to some Listed races over 1400m in Melbourne next year.
And like Saturday, Sniparoochy will relish “having a crack” in that company.
“She’ll probably have a break (after Saturday), and then there’s a chance of her going to Melbourne for a couple of mares Listed races,” Miller said.
“We’ll give her a crack at one of those races at some stage.
“I think she’s a lot stronger now.”
More horse racing news