We're
two and a half weeks out from the Group I MRC Blue Diamond Stakes which was won
last year by a very talented maiden in Pride of Dubai, who more than made his
mark on all those around him including Peter and Paul Snowden, who selected him
from the paddock as a yearling.
Courtesy Snowden Racing website - In
2014 Peter and Paul Snowden were given a golden opportunity by Sheikh Mohammed
bin Khalifa Al Maktoum to pick five horses out of the paddock to train and
after looking at 15, Pride Of Dubai was their number one pick, as Peter Snowden
reflected.
"He was our top pick out of the paddock. He had a good demeanour, a good eye
and a broad head which are things I like.
"He was pretty raw and had a frame to fill in to but knowing a bit about Street
Cry's I had to be forgiving and imagine what he'd grow in to.
"His first race run was terrific and he was a certainty beaten in the Prelude
but thrived from that run. There were plenty of top jockeys chasing the ride
including Damien Oliver heading into the Diamond, so that gave us even more
confidence to win Sheikh Khalifa his first Group 1 race in Australia.
"I wasn't surprised he won the Blue Diamond because I thought he was good
enough but credit must be also given to Damian Browne who rode him admirably."
Team Snowden decided to bypass the Golden Slipper, a race they won with Sepoy
after his Diamond victory in 2011, due to the three week turnaround between
races and the hectic style of race it is, opting to extend the colt and his
potential to the seven furlongs.
"Logic was to go on to the Slipper but because he was getting back in his
races, I didn't want him hustled early to keep in touch and risk taking off his
explosive finish, plus I also felt three weeks from the Diamond to the Slipper
was a bit short, so I opted for the five weeks between runs and seven furlongs
of the Sires Produce and it paid off," explained Snowden.
Click here to read the full story.