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Snitzel Passes Away: From Champion Sprinter to Breed-Shaping Stallion in 2025 

In the landscape of Australian thoroughbred racing and breeding, few names carry as much weight as Snitzel. Born into elite company and blessed with blinding speed, Snitzel carved out an impressive racing career before becoming one of the most dominant stallions in the modern era. His story is one of excellence, evolution, and enduring legacy.

Early Life and Pedigree

Foaled on August 31, 2002, Snitzel was bred by Francois Naude and purchased by Gerald Ryan at the Magic Millions Sale. He is by Redoute’s Choice, a multiple Group 1-winning son of the legendary Danehill, out of the Snippets mare Snippets’ Lass. Snitzel’s pedigree was a cocktail of speed and precocity, and he would go on to embody those traits on the racetrack and pass them down in the breeding barn.

As a son of Redoute’s Choice, Snitzel was part of a powerful sireline descending from Danehill, the great shuttle stallion who revolutionised Australian breeding. His dam, Snippets’ Lass, added another layer of speed and toughness to his profile, having herself produced multiple stakes performers.

Snitzel the Racehorse

Trained by Gerald Ryan and raced in the colours of Eduardo Cojuangco’s Gooree Park Stud, Snitzel quickly established himself as a horse of real talent. He debuted as a two-year-old in the Listed Breeders’ Plate at Randwick, and won convincingly, signaling his potential as a top juvenile.

Over a 15-start career, Snitzel recorded seven wins and two placings, with earnings exceeding A$1 million. His crowning moment came in the 2006 Group 1 Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield, where he defeated a field of seasoned sprinters in commanding style.

Major Wins:

• Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m)
• Group 2 Challenge Stakes
• Group 3 Skyline Stakes
• Listed Breeders’ Plate

Snitzel was known for his electric turn of foot, on-pace running style, and competitive spirit. Though he never stretched beyond 1200 meters, he was never meant to. He was a pure sprinter, and one of the best of his generation.

Transition to Stud: The Making of a Sire

Retired to Arrowfield Stud in 2006, Snitzel entered a highly competitive stallion market dominated by proven sires like Encosta De Lago, Commands, and his own sire Redoute’s Choice. But from the outset, Snitzel made his presence felt.

His first crop produced Group winners, and from there, his influence expanded rapidly. He was Australia’s Champion Sire for four consecutive seasons (2017-2020), an achievement that placed him in rarefied air. At his peak, his service fee rose to A$220,000, reflecting his extraordinary success and commercial appeal.

Key Progeny: Passing on the Legacy

Snitzel’s progeny have made their mark at all levels of Australian racing. He has sired more than 120 stakes winners, including over 20 Group 1 winners. His offspring are known for their precocity, speed, and versatility across distances up to a mile.

Group 1 Stars:

• Trapeze Artist: A four-time Group 1 winner, including the TJ Smith Stakes and All Aged Stakes. He is now a sought-after stallion in his own right.
• Redzel: Winner of the first two editions of The Everest, Australia’s richest race. Redzel earned over A$16 million and was a model of consistency.
• Russian Revolution: Group 1 winner of the Oakleigh Plate and Galaxy, now standing at Newgate Farm and producing his own crop of stakes winners.
• Shamus Award: Winner of the Cox Plate at three, later became a leading sire himself with progeny like Incentivise and Mr Quickie.
• Estijaab: A brilliant filly who won the Golden Slipper, cementing Snitzel’s reputation as a sire of elite juveniles.
• Snitzerland, Wild Ruler, In The Congo, Away Game, I Am Excited: Multiple Group winners showcasing Snitzel’s consistency across generations.

Snitzel’s progeny have excelled in both colts’ and fillies’ divisions, often topping yearling sales and delivering returns for their owners on the track.

Commercial Success: King of the Sale Ring

Snitzel’s impact is not confined to the racetrack. At yearling sales across Australia, his progeny are in perpetual demand. He has topped the sires by average and aggregate at major sales like Magic Millions, Inglis Easter, and Inglis Premier.

Colts by Snitzel routinely fetch seven-figure prices, particularly when they carry strong female families or are out of proven Group-winning mares. This commercial success is a testament to the reliability and quality of his stock.

Influence as a Broodmare Sire

As his daughters begin to retire to the breeding barn, Snitzel is also emerging as a significant broodmare sire. His daughters are producing early winners, and breeders are keen to tap into the potent blend of Danehill and Snippets blood.

Early indications suggest Snitzel will follow in the footsteps of his own sire Redoute’s Choice and grandsire Danehill, both of whom became elite broodmare sires in time.

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Sire of Sires

With commercial sires like Trapeze Artist, Russian Revolution, and Shamus Award already showing great promise, Snitzel is poised to become a powerful sire of sires. This is a critical measure of a stallion’s enduring legacy.

Notable Sons at Stud:

• Trapeze Artist (Widden Stud)
• Russian Revolution (Newgate Farm)
• Shamus Award (Rosemont Stud)
• In The Congo
• Wild Ruler

Each of these stallions carries Snitzel’s hallmark traits of speed, strength, and competitiveness.

Snitzel’s Legacy

Few stallions have reshaped Australian breeding in such a short space of time. Snitzel has established himself not only as a great sire but as a foundational force in pedigrees for years to come.

He is responsible for:

• Multiple Champion Sire titles
• Over A$250 million in progeny earnings
• Dozens of Group 1 victories
• High-class performers across all age groups
• A powerful stallion dynasty with global reach

Moreover, Snitzel’s ability to throw fillies and colts of equal quality, his reliability as a sales sire, and his influence on future breeding decisions make him one of the most important Australian stallions since Danehill.

Conclusion

Snitzel’s journey from the racetrack to the breeding barn is a story of elite performance and rare consistency. As a racehorse, he dazzled with his speed and tenacity. As a stallion, he has delivered generation after generation of top-tier talent, setting new standards in Australian breeding.

Whether measured by racetrack performance, stud success, sales ring dominance, or long-term impact, Snitzel stands among the titans of the turf. His legacy will continue through his sons, daughters, and grandchildren, ensuring that his name endures in pedigrees and memories for decades to come.

Snitzel is not just a champion sprinter or a great sire. He is a phenomenon, a blueprint for success in Australian racing, and a lasting reminder of how excellence in one generation can echo through the ages.

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