Sunday 22nd, 2008

The Melbourne combination of James Winks and Danny O'Brien took out the final Group One race on offer this season when Absolut Glam trounced the older mares in the Winter Stakes (1400m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

The chestnut daughter of Snowland, was coming off a fantastic last effort when fourth in the Group I Stradbroke. A race she had never been better than four wide the entire trip and closed well to be just three-quarters-of-a-length away from the winner, Mr Baritone. 

With a good barrier draw of five in the 20-strong Winter Stakes field Absolut Glam was given the run of the race by Winks behind the early leader Calchris, who set a demanding tempo for the feature, settling in seventh position. When asked for her effort Absolut Glam had too much in hand for Fritz's Princess (More Than Ready - Superb Lady by Canny Lad) to land the feature by a length-and-a-quarter. Alverta (Flying Spur - Grilse by Rahy) was another neck away in third after looking the likely winner at the 400m when she claimed the lead.

Unraced at two, Absolut Glam has subsequently had a busy classic season chalking up four wins and six placings from more than a dozen starts. Her earnings have past $700,000 providing her group of nine owners a healthy return on the $150,000 O'Brien paid for her at the 2006 Magic Millions Yearling sale from the draft of Widden Stud. She is the fourth foal of the Pine Bluff mare Pine Away (USA), an unraced three-quarter sister to the Group Three winning filly Moonflute (by Danehill).

Absolut Glam is the first Group One winner for her sire the former brilliant Group One winning sprinter Snowland, who stood his freshman season at Widden Stud in the Hunter Valley before fertility problems forced his owners Gooree Stud to take him home to Mudgee for an early retirement. 


As fate would have it last spring with the outbreak of equine influenza Gooree Stud was unable to travel mares to be covered in the Hunter Valley so the stud's Manager, Andrew Baddock, bought Snowland out of retirement. Under the watchful eye of Baddock, Snowland covered a number of mares successfully. Baddock was so impressed, Gooree have agreed to allow Macquarie Stud's, David Baxter, to stand the son of Snippets this spring at a fee of $16,500 (inc gst).

Snowland represents a winning combination of raw colonial speed through Snippets and the best of international bloodlines via his dam Snowdrift (FR).

Snowdrift made $1.5 million when offered for sale at public auction which is a good indication of the regard in which this family is held. As well as being the dam of Snowland, Snowdrift, is the dam of his full brother the stakes winning Snippestson, the Golden Slipper third placegetter and the Group 2 Magic Night Stakes winner, Portillo (by Red Ransom) and the stakes placed Snowden (by Octagonal) and Freeze (by Marscay). 

Of course, there is more to Snowland’s pedigree. He has a duplication of Northern Dancer, his dam Snowdrift is out of the Thatching mare, Snowtop, a winner of three races including the Listed Joe McGrath Memorial. She is also a half-sister to the brilliant sprinter and successful sire, Al Hareb. Snowtop comes from a truly international family including the winners of the Group I English 1000 Guineas, Russian Caravan, the Group I Irish 1000 Guineas winner Tarascon and the Group 2 Prix de Conde winner Dr Somerville. 

On top of all this Snowland's statistics are amazing from just 28 runners he's produced a group one winner a stakes placegetter Kyros and 14 individual winners.