Snitzanova will kick off her latest campaign in Saturday’s Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m), and trainer Ciaron Maher is hoping the talented filly can lay the foundation for a successful Queensland winter carnival.
The daughter of Snitzel has already enjoyed a productive start to her career, with three wins from five starts including consecutive triumphs in the Group 3 Spring Stakes and Group 2 Sandown Guineas, both over the mile.
While she hasn’t raced since the Magic Millions Guineas in January, where she failed to feature, assistant trainer Johann Gerard-Dubord is confident she’s returned in good order and expects her to take improvement from Saturday’s run.
“Her trial was good and she is coming up well,” Gerard-Dubord said. “She will obviously take benefit from the run, but this looks a nice race to get her going again.”
Connections haven’t ruled out aiming at the Queensland Oaks, depending on how she handles Saturday’s return.
“We’ll see whether we aim towards the Oaks or target something a bit shorter,” Gerard-Dubord said. “She’s bred to get further so it’s something we’ll weigh up after this weekend.”
Meanwhile, Maher’s team will also saddle up Honey Girl in the Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m), and despite her long odds, Gerard-Dubord suggests she can improve significantly off her first-up midfield run in the Emancipation Stakes.
“She had no luck that day, never settled and was wide the trip,” he said. “If she gets a soft run from barrier six, don’t be surprised if she runs a big race at odds.”