Late Brisbane start for the Snowdens

Sydney’s Snowden training partnership will make a late start to its Queensland summer campaign but with strong hands in two stakes races at Eagle Farm.

The Peter and Paul Snowden father and son team has been a major player in the Brisbane summers in recent years with their biggest Queensland win the 2016 Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic with Capitalist.

They will have Ravi in Saturday’s Listed Just Now Quality and Gibraltar Girl in the Listed Mode Plate (1200m).

The meeting has the unusual situation of two stakes races for female horses after the Mode Plate for three-year-olds was called off because of bad light last Saturday and transferred to this week.

Ravi is by champion sire Redoute’s Choice and her dam Mambo In Freeport is the mother of Elzaam who was Redoute’s Choice’s first northern hemisphere stakes winner.

The Snowdens realise Ravi will have a high value as a broodmare and are keen to get as much black type as possible against her name.

She was to start her Queensland campaign in the Listed Colin McAlpine Memorial two weeks ago but was scratched because of a wide barrier.

“Ravi isn’t a Magic Millions horse but there are some black-type races for her in Queensland,” Paul Snowden said.

“She showed she was up to stakes class with some handy runs in the Melbourne spring without winning in Group Three and Listed company.”

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Ravi hasn’t run since finishing fifth to Flippant in the Listed MSS Security Handicap at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day.

“But she has been ticking over and won a trial at Randwick in handy fashion,” Snowden said.

“Also if you get more storms she has won on a heavy ten so that is no major worry.”

Gibraltar Girl has also had a delayed start to her Brisbane campaign and was among the favourites for the Mode Plate.

“Gibraltar Girl stayed in Queensland at the Gold Coast. She missed work on Tuesday because of a storm but we were able to work her on Wednesday morning,” Snowden said.

“She is a light filly and missing last week won’t have worried her.”

Gibraltar Girl won twice at Canterbury before finishing a close second to Flash Fibian at her last start at Rosehill on November 19.

“She is also nicely bred so we are keen to get the owners some black type for her and Queensland looks the ideal place,” Snowden added.

Kerrin McEvoy, who is in Brisbane for the State of Origin series, will ride Ravi and leading Brisbane jockey Jeff Lloyd is on Gibraltar Girl.