 |
|
| Staff Writer |
 |
Following an Aug. 27 front-running victory in the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield, it didn’t take co-owner Brad Spicer much convincing that 6-year-old mare Snapdancer seemed sitting on ready for a bigger task.
The managing director of Spicer Thoroughbreds began shopping around for slot holders for a chance to compete in The 2022 Everest.
Spicer and his team of owners didn’t have to wait long.
Just as quickly as Snapdancer bounces from the gate, Spicer and Inglis Bloodstock team struck the A$600,000 for a spot in the Oct. 15 sprint.
Frankly, the deal just made reasonably good sense.
“Obviously, Inglis is a well-entrenched bloodstock company here in Australia,” Spicer said. “We’ve worked with them for many, many years. So, it was a really seamless fit. Especially when we spoke originally about how we're going to sort of attack the deal or the Everest slot. Their values met our values, and we got the deal done fairly quickly. There wasn’t much asked of either side. We’re pretty open, and the deal was pretty easy.”
Of course, what Snapdancer brings to the race is a 6-year-old mare competing against the talented likes of older horses such as 2021 Everest champ Nature Strip, Mazu, Eduardo and 2021 runner-up Masked Crusader. A few other male counterparts in The Everest are likely going to be younger, more fresh-legged sprinters, perhaps even a colt or two.
Spicer says the variables aren’t an issue with Snapdancer.
“Yeah, she's probably an exception,” Spicer stated. “(Normally) at this stage of her career, you'd be looking at the breeding barn for her. But she's very lightly raced, she's only had the 20 starts. She was very much nurtured in the early part of her career.
“(The connections) are all reaping the rewards for that time and patience early on. She's got that northern hemisphere pedigree. We've seen plenty of those horses that are raced here over the last 20 years that have had longevity and really reached their peak at five, six and gone on to race until they're eight years old.
“So, there's nothing really stopping her. The prize money is so important here in Australia, because obviously, these horses go to stud, you cash in and you let the breeders do their thing. But with the race like the Everest, if she was, she was able to win it this year, she'd race on to next year, because the prize money is so good on the track, rather than the breeding barn.”
Snapdancer’s ownership group includes Bart Healy, a Sydney-based insurance broker; Ash Downie, a Brisbane insurance broker; two friends, Barry Felstead and George Palatinus; Paul Johnson, an ex-bookie, “good mate” and talented businessman; and Don Donati, also a friend and a successful Australian Rules Football coach.
 |  |  |
If each owner’s eagerness matches that of Spicer’s, Team Snapdancer has some high hopes.
And rightfully so.
By hanging on in the final strides of the 1,400-meter Memsie, Snapdancer succeeded in a trip 200 meters further than she’ll be asked to travel in The Everest.
Spicer knows the A$1 million Memsie pace scenario favored Snapdancer; there are no guarantees in a A$15 million prize money sprint. The antics are certain to differ, particularly with Nature Strip — “He’s superstar,” Spicer said — who’s likely to dictate the early fractions if not all of them.
“It’ll be a different pressure,” Spicer said. “The Everest will be full-on, whereas she got her own way in the Memsie. A lot of horses sat back off her and just let her go. But come Everest time, it's going to be a different pressure at the start of the race. It’s just a privilege to be in a race like The Everest and competing at that top level. “
Spicer certainly isn’t a “take ‘em one at a time” guy, either. If Snapdancer makes an account for herself come Oct. 15 at Randwick, where she has enjoyed a great deal of success, Spicer says he would be “over the moon” for a shot next year at Royal Ascot, such as Nature Strip did successfully in June.
“I’ve been there but a lot of the guys in the horses haven't been,” Spicer said. “So, for them to actually get over there and see the way they do it, it’d be amazing. Once you leave, you'll want to go back again. It's an electric feeling.”
As for The Everest and its place on the racing calendar, Spicer said racing purists are often afraid of change.
“When the change happens, you’re apprehensive and all,” Spicer said. “I was (cautious) at the start, but I've seen this race grow and grow and grow, and the excitement that Sydney has brought to this race is amazing.
“We've got the Melbourne Cup here in Melbourne, and that's been the biggest race in Australia. But the Everest is really eating into that market. It’s a whole different party atmosphere up there, and I'm really looking forward to getting up there.”
How does Spicer envision the race setup behind the bounding Nature Strip?
“We need a perfect break, maybe see if she can settle say third or fourth, following the right horse. If Nature Strip’s in front of us, we've got his bum following him right. In the straight I think we'll be very happy because that'll give us every chance because he'll accelerate. He does that and most likely he’ll be the winner.
“But if we can get any slipstream, I think that'd be ideal for us so we can peel out at the right time. She's got a big action and if we could run second to Nature Strip, I think we'd be all thrilled.”
As in say, a little racing luck, perhaps?
Brad Spicer is all about that element — and vocal about it, too.
“I find luck is a major factor. I've been in this industry for 20 years. I find lucky people stay lucky and unlucky people stay unlucky. So, I try to divert away from the unlucky people,” he added.