By Lydia Symonds
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‘Awesome and arrogant’ Snitzel colt caps off brilliant cross-hemisphere success for Coolmore with potentially more in the pipeline
Switzerland (Snitzel) lived up to his hefty price-tag and topline breeding when he conjured up a dominant display to join the list of future stallion prospects to land the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), the headline act on what became a remarkable day for Chris Waller and James McDonald at Flemington.
Owned by Coolmore and a consortium of their partners, the three-old’s success came only hours after the operation snared a brace of Grade 1s across the globe at Del Mar in California, with Lake Victoria (Frankel) proving far too good in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (Gr 1, 1m), before Henri Matisse, a colt by the operation’s star shuttler Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj), showed his class to triumph in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (Gr 1, 1m).
Coolmore’s memorable cross-hemisphere weekend is far from over yet, with the global powerhouse set to be represented in a host of races on the second day of the Breeders’ Cup in the early hours of Sunday morning and none more anticipated than when Epsom Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f)-winning colt City Of Troy (Justify) faces his date with destiny in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (Gr 1, 10f) (8.45am AEST).
These triumphs would have been a welcome tonic for Coolmore and no doubt helped ease the disappointment of English St. Leger (Gr 1, 1m 6.5f) winner Jan Brueghel (Galileo) being scratched on vets advice from the Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) on Tuesday.
In winning Saturday’s coveted Group 1, Switzerland secured himself a spot on the Coolmore Australia roster at the conclusion of his career on the track and he could potentially be given a chance to add further zeroes to his already enormous value as his connections now eye a trip to Royal Ascot next year.
“Well, the beauty of winning a Group 1 race, it takes a little bit of pressure off. We’ve got to just now maintain his value, so logically, races like the Newmarket and Royal Ascot would be in our consideration,” said Waller.
Despite the manner of Saturday’s win, Switzerland’s career has been anything but plain sailing. A winner of his first three starts as a juvenile, including an impressive victory in the Todman Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), which propelled him to the head of the betting for the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m). After running a disappointing eighth in that juvenile Group 1, the colt was sent for a spell with Waller vowing to turn his attention towards the autumn.
Switzerland’s Classic campaign got off to a rocky start with his reputation dented further when finishing a disappointing ninth in his seasonal reappearance in the Run To The Rose (Gr 2, 1200m) in September, leaving connections scratching their heads.
However, as has become the custom, Waller was able to work his magic, with the colt returning to his brilliant best in the Roman Consul Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), forcing the operation to resist backing him up in The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m), instead choosing to save him for the Coolmore.
That decision was vindicated in spades on Saturday, when Switzerland showed a blistering turn of foot to hit the front under a motionless McDonald with 200 metres left to run, before extending away to post a stunning 2.8-length win over the Mark Walker-trained Bellatrix Star (Star Witness), who ran a brave race to finish a brilliant second.
Yulong and Ciaron Maher’s colt Growing Empire (Zoustar) and Golden Slipper winner Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon), dead-heated to finish third, a further 0.3 lengths away.
Waller was winning the Coolmore for an astonishing sixth time, having also landed it in 2021 with Switzerland’s future barnmate, Home Affairs (I Am Invincible), who is covering his third book of mares at the operation’s Australian base.
The trainer said he felt a sense of relief when the colt’s career got back on track in the Roman Consul and is confident he has more to offer.
“We’ve got a great team that got us back on track,” Waller said.
“He just got excited and hurt himself and got agitated [in the Run To The Rose]. It was just one of those things that young kids do.
“That’s all he is. He’s a young teenager, he’s finding his way, became a man last start. I thought the writing was on the wall that a Group 1 wasn’ t far away, to win a stallion–making race like this, it’s a big deal.
“For the colts, this is the race you need to win. So I’m privileged to be training these types of horses because I didn’t get them when I started, but now it’s a privilege.
“I could see he jumped well, he settled well, James was just sitting on it quietly and that was the pre-race plan. Be where he’s comfortable. It was as simple as that.”
McDonald has been connected with some top-class colts during his time in the saddle and he placed Switzerland in the upper echelons, believing there is more to come.
“This is one of the nicest colts I’ve sat on for a while. He’s been promising to do that,” said McDonald who was landing the Coolmore for a third time, while the win handed him his 101st Group 1 winner, a tally which was added to later when he won the Empire Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) aboard the Waller-trained Atishu (Savabeel).
“I’m just absolutely delighted to be fair, he’s got the most beautiful nature, and he allows me to do whatever I want on him, he’s so push-button, and when he was so alertly away, I just sat on him and let the race unfold around him, and he allowed me to do that, and he makes a jockey’s life so easy.
“He’s such a talented colt, he’s got gears to turn, and after his jump out here the other day, we were cooking with gas, he went super.”
“He’s got a lot of talent, he’s got well above average ability, he’s got an absolutely brilliant demeanour.
“He’s got an incredible turn of foot, and he can sustain it for a long time; he’s got all the attributes to be a top sprinter.
“There are two races here in the autumn that have got a big circle around him. He’ll thicken up, he’ll develop, he’ll get stronger and better – he’s a beauty.”
Should Switzerland make the journey to Royal Ascot next year, he will be Waller’s third Coolmore Stud Stakes winner to attempt to follow up at the prestigious meeting. Brazen Beau (I Am Invincible) is the closest the trainer has come to following up a Coolmore win with a Royal Ascot victory, winning the Flemington Group 1 in 2014, before finishing an agonising second in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (Gr 1, 6f), beaten a half-length by the Wesley Ward-trained Undrafted (Purim). Home Affairs was aimed at the same race at royal meeting following his 2021 Coolmore win, but came home a well-beaten 20th of 24 runners.
Bred by Arrowfield and Cloros Bloodstock, Switzerland (3 c Snitzel – Ms Bad Behavior by Blame) was purchased for $1.5 million out of John Messara’s draft at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in 2023 and he is out of US Grade 3 winner Ms Bad Behavior (Blame), who was bought by Arrowfield’s bloodstock manager Jon Freyer for US$600,000 at the Fasig-Tipton November Mixed Sale in 2019.
Ms Bad Behavior herself is a daughter of dual US stakes winner Cumulonimble (Stormy Atlantic), making her a half-sister to Listed-scoring duo One Bad Boy (Twirling Candy) and Blessed Truly (Souper Speedy).
Arrowfield sold Switzerland’s brother to TFI for $550,000 at this year’s edition of the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale and she has since foaled another two colts by the operation’s marquee stallion, with the most recent arriving on September 30.
Coolmore’s Tom Magnier said Switzerland jumped out at the team very early on during the inspections at Riverside in 2023.
“We looked at him a lot at Easter, the whole team had him on the list straight away,’’ Magnier said. “To win this race is what you have to do in our industry and I’m just delighted for all the people involved in the horse because they’re great supporters of our industry.
“It was an amazing win, really. Chris [Waller] has had a high opinion of this horse – as [jockey] James [McDonald] has – for a long time so the belief was high and what Chris and James believed came out for us today.
“It’s a big credit to Arrowfield to breed horses like this, they’re very good at it and we’re delighted with how it’s all played out.’’
In winning the race, Switzerland became the 21st individual Group 1 winner and first Coolmore Stud Stakes triumphant for Arrowfield’s leading stallion Snitzel. The son of Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) has made a blistering start to the year, with Switzerland joining his stable companion Lady Shenandoah as the stallion’s other individual Group 1 and they feature among nine stakes individual stakes winners for the stallion this term. He sits atop Australia’’s leading sires by stakes winners with Pride Of Dubai (Street Cry), Zoustar (Northern Meteor) and Too Darn Hot (Dubawi) his closest rivals by this metric with five individual stakes winners apiece.
Saturday’s result came off the back of a remarkable run for nursery’s resident stallions and Messara was quick to pay tribute to the farm’s stalwart inmate.
“It’s also a fabulous result for Snitzel, he’s somewhat of a freak stallion, he’s 22 years of age but he’s virile, he’s fertile, nothing seems to stop him – he’s just amazing,” said Messara.
“The past two-three weeks of the carnival have been amazing for our stallions and for our graduate performances, it’s been outstanding.
“It’s getting close to sales time again now and don’t you worry, our Easter draft for next year is exceptional, full of quality again.’
“He [Switzerland] was always a really nice colt, I mean he sold for very good money and there was some very contested bidding for him I remember, they all wanted him at Inglis Easter.
“The Coolmore boys bought him and syndicated him with some of their partners and they’ve always held the horse in high regard.”