Arrowfield Stud have produced some interesting statistics on Snitzel's astonishing season so far:

• This weekend his progeny have set a new all-time Australian prizemoney record of $13.8 million, smashing Street Cry's record of $12.9 million set in 2015/16 - with 11 weeks of the season to go. It should be noted that the historical figures are not adjusted for inflation, so a hat-tip is respectfully made to Australia's past champion sires, notably Zabeel whose $11.2 million prizemoney in 1998/99 is equivalent to around $18 million today. 
• Snitzel's current 24 winners of 29 domestic Group & Listed Races isn't a record, but he may yet surpass the 26 stakeswinners & 33 stakes wins Danehill accumulated in 2001/02, and his 7.8 per cent Stakeswinners/Runners for the season is among leading sires' best figures of the past two decades.
• He also leads the 2YO & 3YO Sires' premierships by earnings, winners and stakeswinners and if he can stay on top of all three lists until 31 July, he will match the 2005/06 clean sweep of his sire Redoute's Choice.
• Snitzel's trio of offshore stakeswinners (Group 1 winners Summer Passage in New Zealand & Heavenly Blue in South Africa, and dual Group 3 winner Young Man Power in Japan) take his global 2016/17 statistics to 27 winners of 34 black type races, and earnings of $14.4 million. 
• He has already posted 30 winners (eight stakeswinners) from 70 juvenile runners worldwide for the season, equalling his 2015/16 total and the record set by Lindsay Park's great stallion Without Fear in 1975/76. The larger stallion books and multiple markets of the 21st century industry give Snitzel a significant advantage, but it can also be argued that the modern stallion business is much more competitive than 40 years ago. 
• Russian Revolution and Redzel supplied Snitzel's first Group 1 quinella in The Galaxy on 18 March and two weeks later Invader, Summer Passage & Trapeze Artist ran 1-2-3 in the ATC Sires' Produce S. G1. That was the first Australian Group 1 2YO trifecta since Grosvenor, Cossak Price & Sir Trout (all by Sir Tristram) led the field home in the 1982 VRC Sires' Produce S. G1.
• In less than three hours on Saturday, Redzel & Tangled (in Brisbane, Queensland), Debonairly (at Scone, NSW) and Vienna Miss (in Adelaide, South Australia) added four stakes victories to Snitzel's record. A quick check of recent champion sires' data reveals it's an uncommon feat achieved, for example, by the great New Zealand sire Zabeel in November 1998 and two-time Australian champion sire Encosta de Lago in March 2008 & March 2009. Then there's the stallion with four stakes wins on 9 September 2006; five on 10 May 1998; and finally, six in Australia & England on 23 September 2006 - that was Snitzel's magnificent paternal grand-sire Danehill.

Tara Madgwick - Monday, 15 May 2017

Snitzel