Snowden Adds Impressive Caymans To Sheik's Spring String
Sun Herald
Sunday June 15, 2008
PETER SNOWDEN'S success with Dubai's ruler and now Australia's most prominent thoroughbred owner, Sheik Mohammed, continued yesterday when lightly raced two-year-old Caymans emerged as a spring carnival contender.
Snowden produced Caymans ($1.90) for just his second race start and the gelding was far too good for rivals after travelling on the speed before dashing to a 31/2-length win."He is a good horse and will be given his chance in the better spring races after that. He'll go for a break now," Snowden said after Dan Nikolic guided the son of Doncaster winner Secret Savings to beat Soho Secret ($4.40) and Voyeurs Choice ($71).The winner's dam is the unraced mare Easy Out, which was purchased from Emirates Park by Trevor Lobb for Woodlands Stud when owned by the Ingham family, who this year sold out to the sheik's Darley operation."Trevor bought the mare quite cheap when she was in foal to Secret Savings and this is the result," Snowden said. "Going back through the mare's family, they have all been good over a bit of ground and this is her first foal to race. He has always shown me that he could be at least a mile-and-a-quarter [2000m] horse." Nikolic said Caymans was "packed full of potential" and had no doubt he will be even better next preparation."What he has done this campaign, with a second on debut and then a win today, has been on raw ability," Nikolic said. "He still has a bit of learning to do but he has a big, long, loping stride and he feels like he'll make a stayer to me. I liked the way he did the job today, though."While Caymans could be a spring force, Snowden said stablemate Fravashi - which was beaten into third place in last Monday's group 1 TJ Smith at Eagle Farm - would only be back "for the tail end of the spring"."He pulled up with rib-cartilage damage after the latest run in Brisbane and it will take six or seven weeks for it to heal up properly," Snowden said. "The Caulfield Guineas is on October 12 so we are no hope of getting him there. But he'll be back for the end of the carnival." Meanwhile, Grant Buckley made a great return to city riding when he guided Kylie Gavenlock's Mary's Grace to win the Gold Edition Handicap."I broke my shoulder in a race fall at Goulburn about seven and a half weeks ago," Buckley said. "I had two rides at Hawkesbury on Thursday and that was my first day back race riding, so to get back to town and be on a winner straight away is fantastic." Mary's Grace ($3.70) beat Lustre Lady ($5) and Montana Hilton ($21).
© 2008 Sun Herald
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