High Hopes for Blueblood

24 April 2016

Tony Pike has particularly high hopes for the beautifully-bred WS four-year-old Snowdrop. The Cambridge trainer produced her for a first-up victory at Ellerslie on Saturday and is expecting her to continue on a path to the top.

“She’s a very progressive mare. She sweated up a bit in the back parade ring before the race, so this will bring her along nicely and she’ll improve for the run,” Pike said.

“The biggest barrier for her is tracks. She needs good ground. It would be nice if we could give her another run or two in this campaign before the tracks get too wet, but she’ll be a lovely mare next season. Hopefully, we can pick up a really nice sprint race with her.”

By Pins out of the multiple Group One winner Daffodil, Snowdrop collected the fifth win of her 10-start career in the hands of apprentice Ryan Elliot. “Ryan rode her perfectly, and with his claim taking her weight down to 51.5 kilograms that made her pretty hard to beat,” Pike said.

Pure Alpha delivers again as Ardrossan continues to rise

Ardrossan gelding Pure Alpha led throughout to win by 1.29 lengths at Eagle Farm for owner Ozzie Kheir, taking his earnings past $300,000. The result caps a stellar run for sire Ardrossan, whose yearlings fetched up to $450,000 this year on strong Hong Kong form.

28 August 2026

The Corner with Garry Chittick

It is difficult to maintain momentum when sitting in judgment of racing’s governance. After all, I get no pleasure in searching for non-credible decisions, but one is perpetually bewildered by the rationale behind many of the positions that make little sense.