Stratheden Stud

Snippetson
13 September 2011

JUDY MARHEINE, hands on manager of the family�s Stratheden stud on the western fringe of Tamworth and a long time NSW Breeders Association director, got an extra kick out of inspecting booming young Snippets sire Snippetson when she attended the stallion parade at the Widden stud on Thursday August 25.

She was keen to see his continued development since he grew up under her care at Stratheden. A prominent Sydney sprinter, Snippetson is one of four successive foals, all stakes performers, Stratheden bred from the imported French mare Snowdrift (by the Danzig sire Polish Precedent) before they sold her in a stud reduction sale.

The first foal out of Snowdrift was Snowland, a bought in Gooree Pastoral Company runner who won the AJC Galaxy, Up and Coming Stakes, Kindergarten Stakes, Tattersall�s Roman Consul Stakes and STC Todman Slipper Trial.

Snowland preceded Snippetson at the Widden stud, but tragically, unlike the younger brother, had his career restricted by fertility problems. He has had 30 winners from 40 runners, headed by star sprinter Absolut Glam.

The other two foals bred by Judy Marheine from Snowdrift at Stratheden have been Freeze (by Marscay, a winner and stakes placed in Sydney in a six start career) and Snowden (Octagonal; also a Sydney winner and stakes placegetter),

Snowdrift has had two more winners since she changed hands, including the P.J. Fleming bred Red Ransom filly Portillo, a winner of the STC Magic Night Stakes, AJC Surround Stakes and Gimcrack Stakes, second AJC Flight Stakes and a Golden Slipper third. Now owned by Darley, Portillo has had two foals, fillies born 2010 (by Exceed and Excel) and one by Street Cry delivered on August 4.

Snowdrift is on the threshold of a new foal, one by Redoute�s Choice, and has a filly dropped August 27 last year by Red Ransom. The breeder for both foals is Cressfield, Scone.

Although the Marheines have probably had some remorse at letting Snowdrift go, they made up for it to a degree by keeping her Longchamp winning half-sister Flurry (by the Blushing Groom sire Groom Dancer). She died after producing three foals at Stratheden, but the first of them is Snow Alert, a tough Red Ransom gelding which they race and which has won seven races and earned over $500,000 to date.

They are also got back to Snowdrift by mating some of the small band of mares they have retained with Snippetson and Freeze. The latter had very restricted use in his first three seasons, but they have produced eight winners from 16 runners, including Arctic Command (won VRC Maribyrnong Plate), Thunder Lane (two at Eagle Farm and North Queensland Derby), Lightning Ace (successful four times Singapore) and Touch of Frost (winner Gold Coast, Ipswich).

Transferred to Queensland in 2008 in the ownership of Richard Foster and based with John Dean at the Springfields stud, Allora, Darling Downs, Freeze could be a good prospect for the future. He has had books of 64 (96.7 per cent fertility), 63 and 81 (last year).

Two of his early runners, Thunder Lane and Lighting Ace, were among five winners in the August 20-26 period bred by the Marheines at Stratheden. Another was the Desleigh Forster prepared One Moment Please, a Snippetson filly who won at the Gold Coast and whose eleven starts have included two wins and five seconds.

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