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Sword Of State becomes fifth top-flight juvenile winner
In winning the Sistema Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at Ellerslie on Saturday, Sword Of State (2 c ex In The Vanguard by Encosta De Lago) became the 15th Group 1 winner and fifth juvenile top-flight winner for Arrowfield Stud’s four-time champion sire Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) and could now be set for a tilt in the Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at Rosehill next Saturday.
Last seen emphatically landing the Waikato Stud Slipper (Gr 3, 1200m) by six and a half lengths, the Jamie Richards-trained Sword Of State defeated stablemate On The Bubbles (Brazen Beau) by three and a half a lengths, while Bonny Lass (Super Easy) was another length and a half away in third.
Jockey Opie Bosson made full use of an inside barrier as he bounced Sword Of State straight to the front and set up a steady tempo, with On The Bubbles sitting on his outside.
On The Bubbles made his attack at the top of the straight and looked to be going well, but Sword Of State responded and kicked away at the 300 metre mark to come away with an impressive win.
Richards 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, 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 Golden Slipper Stakes next Saturday, with a flight to Sydney having been tentatively booked for Sword Of State should he come through his exertions on Saturday in fine fettle.
“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.
“We won’t make any decisions on raceday and will wait to see how he pulls up from his efforts today.”
Bred by Sir Owen Glenn, Sword Of State was a $600,000 purchase by Te Akau boss David Ellis at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale last year from the Newgate Farm draft. The colt is out of stakes-placed Encosta De Lago (Fairy King) mare In The Vanguard, who is herself a daughter of 2004 Light Fingers Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Sharp (Danzero).
In 2019 In The Vanguard foaled a filly by Newgate Farm’s Russian Revolution (Snitzel) who was bought for $100,000 by Next Level Syndications at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale earlier this year. After missing to Coolmore Australia shuttler Justify (Scat Daddy) the mare was covered last November by Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock).
Being out of an Encosta De Lago mare, Sword Of State is bred on the same cross as five stakes winners and becomes the third Group 1 scorer for the cross, joining Group 1-winning duo Summer Passage and Invader. The victory also handed Encosta De Lago his 15th Group 1 winner as a broodmare sire.
The colt joins Invader, Summer Passage, Estijaab and Sizzling as the stallion’s other juvenile Group 1 winners.
Sword Of State is one of 108 stakes winners for Snitzel and he has 45 lots catalogued at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, including four out of Encosta De Lago mares. The auction gets underway in Sydney on April 6.
