Snitzerland returns to Gerald Ryan’s stable on Monday to be prepared for a campaign aimed at an elusive Group One victory and an invitation to Royal Ascot.
The filly has been runner-up twice at Group One level in the 2012 Golden Slipper and the Galaxy earlier this year.
Black Caviar’s co-owner Neil Werrett is one of the partners in Snitzerland and Ryan said they had discussed a long-term plan to get to the 2014 Royal Ascot meeting.
“She will only have two starts in the spring from four races we have picked out,” Ryan said.
“They are the McEwen Stakes, the Schillaci the Manikato and what was the Patinack.
“Then she will come back for the Lightning Stakes in the autumn.
“That’s the race we have targeted and if she can get a Group One Neil would like to think about Royal Ascot.”
Ryan said he had visited Snitzerland at her pre-training base and was impressed with how she looked.
“She has really grown and put on weight,” he said.
“She has always been pretty small but she looks to have strengthened up a lot so it all looks good.”
Ryan is also happy with the progress of rising eight-year-old Ironstein who is on target to resume next month.
Efforts over the past two years to get the Zabeel gelding to the Melbourne Cup have fallen short and Ryan says it is an unlikely goal after his failure over 3200 metres in the Sandown Cup.
But there are many other targets including the Group Three Queen Elizabeth (2600m) on the final day of Cup week, a race Ironstein won in 2011 and finished second in last year to Puissance de Lune, the reigning Melbourne Cup favourite.
“If he is ready he will come back in the Winter Challenge on the third of August or we will wait another two weeks for the Spring Preview,” Ryan said.
“The Newcastle Cup in September is a goal and then we will take him back to Melbourne to get ready for another crack at the Queen Elizabeth.
“The two best races of his life have been in the Queen Elizabeth.
“The Melbourne Cup is a bit far. When he raced over 3200 metres at Sandown he really didn’t see it out but that was at the end of a preparation.”
Source : AAP
