Even if Earthquake wins Saturday’s Sportingbet Blue Diamond Stakes, Paul Snowden is likely to leave the races with a heavy heart, reports Racing Vicgoria. The triple Group 1 raceday is the final Caulfield meeting that Snowden, Melbourne foreman for the Darley operation overseen by his Sydney-based father Peter, will be a part of as a member of Sheikh Mohammed’s team.
Snowden will soon embark on a training partnership with his father, but while that does not come into effect until the start on May, he finishes up with Darley on 15 March before heading to Randwick to lay the foundations for the joint venture.
It is starting to hit the 34-year-old that his time with Darley, and Inghams’ Woodlands Stud operation before that, is almost up.
“It’s sad on a lot of levels because it’s the only job I’ve had – I left school and came straight here, I started there when I was 15 or 16 – so it’s been a long time here for me,” he said.
“I suppose it is going to be sad when it comes to an end, but everyone’s got to move on.
“I’ve only got about a month left, but I’m still putting in as much as I ever was. We just want to keep getting results and try and do the best we can.”
It would be fitting if Earthquake can provide Snowden with a farewell Diamond victory. Darley has been synonymous with Victoria’s premier juvenile series since Sheikh Mohammed took over the Inghams’ operation in 2008.
It has regularly boasted multiple runners in not only the Blue Diamond Previews and Preludes, but the $1 million Group 1 finale.
Sepoy’s stunning win in the 2011 Diamond, when he streeted his rivals by 4-1/4 lengths in the second-fastest Blue Diamond time ever recorded (1:08.55), has been the highlight of Snowden’s time down here.
“Sepoy was obviously the standout,” Snowden said. “He was definitely my pin up horse down here.”
Snowden never thought he’d see another youngster as good as Sepoy and while he is not yet ready to declare Earthquake the female equivalent, he might become a little more bold if she overcomes barrier 15 on Saturday.
The daughter of Exceed And Excel has thrived since her dominant Prelude win on 8 February and while respectful of unbeaten colt Rubick, who will start from gate 10, Snowden thinks he has the filly to win.
“She’s very similar in a lot of aspects,” he said. “She’s got the same sort of temperament and nearly the same ability.
“I wouldn’t put her in Sepoy’s class just yet, because he was just a machine, but she’s probably not far off. She’s going to need to be though if she’s going to win a race like this one on Saturday.”
Earthquake, the $3.60 second elect behind Rubick ($3) in TAB’s Diamond market, will be ridden by Damian Browne with Chris Symons to partner the other Snowden runner, Blue Diamond Preview winner Mohave (barrier six), who is a $51 chance.
Darley also has runners in the day’s other Group 1 events with rejuvenated gelding Knoydart ($6) considered the biggest threat to raging favourite Lankan Rupee in the $400,000 Sportingbet Oakleigh Plate, in which the Snowdens also have Kuroshio ($26).
Stable veteran Pinwheel will go in search of his maiden victory at the highest level in the $500,000 Group 1 Cathay Pacific Futurity Stakes (1400m), in which he is an $11 chance.
Snowden’s other runner on the Caulfield card is promising stayer Deliberate, the $3.80 favourite for the $220,000 Group 2 BMW Caulfield Autumn Classic (1800m).