Winx’s Snitzel Colt to Sell at Inglis Easter Sale

Winx (AUS)'s part-owner Debbie Kepitis has said she will not pitch up again to buy the mare's Snitzel colt, after it was confirmed June 29 that the youngster will head to next year's Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. Fellow owner Peter Tighe, however, has not ruled out that he might make a bid, but concedes the colt could end up out of his price range. With the news June 29 that the mare's ownership group has once again elected Inglis to sell the mare's second living foal, few would dare to predict a repeat of the wild scenes at the same auction in 2024, when Kepitis went to a world record filly's price of AU$10 million to stave off American giant John Stewart and buy Winx's Pierro (AUS) filly. Then again, as Tighe pointed out, the clamor for this colt could also reach extraordinary levels, after the death of Arrowfield's four-time champion sire Snitzel, who was euthanized earlier this month at 22 years old following age-related health issues. Not only is the colt one of just two live offspring of the 25-time group 1-winning rising 14-year-old Winx, but the statistics around his bloodlines pack a hefty punch. The cross of Snitzel over Street Cry is running at 25% stakes winners to runners, with five from 20—Snitzel's second-strongest stakes winner to runners' percentage, for more than 12 runners. Along with potential stallion value, that's part of the reason some observers believe that while AU$10m is a hard figure to match, the Winx colt is well poised to become a record breaker himself—set to eclipse the top Australian mark of AU$5 million, paid at Inglis Easter in 2013 for Black Caviar's half brother by Redoute's Choice. Asked if Winx's Snitzel colt could fetch as much as his half sister did in 2024, Tighe said: "It's a bit hard to know, but being a colt, we don't know if there's going to be any more yet. He could be the last one, we just don't know. "He's the only colt son of Winx. It will depend on the market at the time and what they're looking for. But they're not making any more Snitzels, so that's one thing we've got in our favor. "The cross is good. We're more than happy with the colt and with the breeding. He's certainly going to be quite valuable, I would think. "So we'll just see what the market thinks." Like his half sister, the colt has been raised at, and will be consigned by, Coolmore Stud. As always, the yearling's value will depend on who enters the game. The presence again of Stewart, who went to AU$9 million for Winx's Pierro filly, and of some major colts syndicates, plus ever-ready Australian-based heavyweights such as Yulong and Coolmore, could lead to the colt's value spiraling. Inglis Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch said he was again humbled by the chance to offer a second Winx yearling at Riverside. "To have the first male offspring of the mighty Winx coming to the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale is an absolute thrill and something we're hugely grateful to the ownership group for,'' Hutch said. "I have been lucky enough to see this colt a number of times through his development. He has always looked like a good horse and I think he is going to present as a very good yearling at the sale."