Redzel out to add to winning sequence

Australia’s current sprinting star Redzel could pass one of Black Caviar’s milestones in the Group One race named for the retired champion at Flemington.

The Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Redzel has put together six-straight wins since last April and can take his career earnings past $8 million if he wins Saturday’s Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (1000m).

The lion’s share of Redzel’s $7,797,750 earnings has come from his $5.8 million winner’s cheque in the inaugural $10 million Everest at Randwick.

Black Caviar’s 25-start unbeaten career included 15 Group One wins – three Lightning Stakes – and prize money of $7,953,936.

Chautauqua is the only specialist sprinter in Australia to have earned more with his prize money at $8.821 million.

“I wouldn’t dare to put him in Black Caviar’s category but prize money is what it is and he’s been lucky enough to win it,” Peter Snowden said.

Redzel’s 11 wins from 21 starts includes last year’s Group One Doomben 10,000 and Darley Classic.

The five-year-old dominated his most recent barrier trial at Rosehill and while Snowden respects the opposition and says he never gets carried away, he is delighted with Redzel and says everything points to the odds-on favourite running well first-up.

“I’m certainly not downplaying the opposition but I’m confident the horse is up for the challenge,” he said.

Snowden admits he did not initially envisage Redzel reaching such heights but praised the sprinter’s development and said he deserved everything he gets because he makes his own luck in races.

“Probably the most significant thing is seeing the improvement he has made from 18 months ago to now,” he said.

“You could do the same thing with 50 other horses and they won’t do what he’s done.

“It’s just all been about the progression he has made himself.

“He’s really got mentally tough now and physically tough. And his best attribute is his disposition at the races. He’s just so laid-back.

“He saves all his energy for the races and that’s been a winning formula.”

Redzel was gelded a couple of years ago and Snowden said once they learned to let him run along in his races he continued to get better and had kept stepping up.

“To see him now, a two-time Group One winner and getting close to the highest prize money sprinter we’ve had, that’s a feather in his cap,” he said.

Whether Redzel has improved again remains to be seen.

“But I’m really happy with the horse,” Snowden said.

“His trial was very, very good at Rosehill and he did it with ease.

“His work on Tuesday was as good as he’s worked in the past.

“If he could get better I’d like to say that would be great. But he’s only got to come back as well as last time and that’s going to make him hard to beat.”