Sword of State is the 15th Gr1 winner for Snitzel winning the Diamond Stakes (1200m) for 2yos at Ellerslie.
Sword Of State started odds-on to confirm his status as the best juvenile in New Zealand and did so comfortably, soon on the lead from an inside draw and never headed, going on to defeat stablemate On The Bubbles (Brazen Beau) comfortably and extend his winning sequence.
Trainer Jamie Richards told NZ Racing News he was delighted to produce the quinella in the contest and to witness the
improvement in the winner who had given the stable some problems early on in his preparation.
“He is a valuable colt now,” he said. “Dave (Ellis) and Mark (Walker) picked him out on the Gold Coast and paid a fair bit of money for him ($600,000), before syndicating him amongst some great people.
“It’s great to see him continuing to improve as he is bred to be out and running before Christmas, but it just wasn’t fitting together.
“We gave him a break and he has come back in great shape and is really going through the gears now.
“The race worked out as we had planned and he made the rail which is invaluable for a two-year-old.”
The Te Akau racing team now have a decision to make as the colt still holds a nomination for the Gr.1 Golden Slipper (1200m) next Saturday, with a flight to Sydney having been tentatively booked.
“We’ll have a talk about Sydney in the next couple of days,” Richards said. “Whether he is a Slipper horse I’m not sure, but he could well be a Sires’ Produce horse.
Sword of State is now the winner of four of his five starts and is the 15th Gr.1 winner for Champion sire Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice), who also has Gr.1 winners Invader and Summer Passage out of mares by Encosta de Lago (Northern Meteor).
Inbred 3×4 to Danehill (Danzig), Sword Of State’s dam In The Vanguard (Encosta de Lago) won in Sydney at two and finished second in the Gr.2 Sweet Embrace Stakes at Rosehill.
The granddam Sharp (Danzero) won the Gr.2 Light Fingers Stakes at Randwick and the third-dam Snarl (Don’t Say Halo) is a half-sister to Gr.1 Flight Stakes winner Angst (Kala Dancer).