Currently sitting snugly at the top of the Australian sires table, Snitzel has come under attack from stablemate Not A Single Doubt and a resurgent Exceed And Excel but has responded with another stakes winner of his own on Sunday with the Chris Waller-trained French Emotion in the $200,000 Group II Blazer Stakes (1400m) at Flemington.
Settled towards the rear of the field by Ben Melham, French Emotion was switched widest of all on the turn but had no sooner got the better of the leaders when she came under attack by the closers Pure Pride and Vibrant Rouge.
But the daughter of Snitzel did not flinch in the closing stages to defeat Pure Pride (Shocking) by a long neck with Vibrant Rouge (Written Tycoon) one length away third. (photo Grant Courtney).
"We changed tactics and decided to settle her at the back - she's been racing on speed and not really finishing her races off," Waller's stable Melbourne assistant Johanne Taylor said.
"Letting her settle and find her feet looks to have worked well, she deserved to win a nice race like that,"
"She's a lovely versatile mare and if she can continue to get good tracks and the rain stays away there is no reason why she can't take the next step," Taylor said.
"It's good to see Ben get a winner for us - he puts in the work and helps us with trials so it's nice for him to get one home for us today."
A homebred for Millford Thoroughbreds Valda Klaric and Ivan
She is a daughter of the Woodman mare Love and Emotion a half-sister to Group I Toorak handicap winner Shot Of Thunder and Listed winner Celebrity Princess out of the Group 1 AJC oaks heroine My Brilliant Star.
Love and Emotion has a 2yo
French Emotion becomes the 43rd stakes winner for Snitzel and his second Group II winner in a space of 24 hours after the unbeaten Russian Revolution lowered the colours of Astern and Capitalist in the Roman Consul stakes at Randwick.
