Master juvenile trainer Peter Snowden has been here before and, while the buzz for two-year-old King’s Gambit hums around him, he simply waits to see it again on raceday.
King’s Gambit gave a galloping exhibition in the Debutant Stakes at Caulfield in the spring in what was probably the best two-year-old effort of the season, but he will be judged again when he steps out as $1.40 favourite in the Canonbury Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday.
King’s Gambit cruises to victory in the Debutant Stakes last year.Credit:Getty
“I don’t get caught up in the expectation on these young horses – the disappointment is too hard to cope with,” Snowden said. “I have had horses with booms on them fizz out and others go on.
“The thing with two-year-olds is they need to keep improving if they are going to be there on grand final day. That’s what we are looking for in the next couple of months, the horse that keeps stepping up. You can’t judge them on one run.”
The grand final is, of course, the Golden Slipper, a race King’s Gambit is the $6 favourite for. He will almost certainly shorten for it if he wins as expected carrying a penalty at Rosehill on Saturday.
“It is a good test for him because Red Resistance won well first up and Waller’s horse [Shinzo] has some raps on him,” Snowden said. “If he can win, it will be a good sign. But there is still long way to go.”
Snowden and son Paul have shown in the past decade that getting two-year-olds right is their strength, and again this year they have a strong team backed by Newgate Farm and James Harron.
In their 10 years in partnership, the Snowdens are the only stable to have won every two-year-old group 1, including three Sire Produce Stakes, two Champagne Stakes, and a Golden Slipper with Capitalist.
That doesn’t include Peter Snowden’s success when he trained at Darley, including winning every two-year-old group 1 in 2011 with Sepoy, Helmet and Benfica.
The Snowdens produced Don Corleone for a great debut win last week and had a strong team of two-year-olds from the Magic Millions, where Empire Of Japan and Sovereign Fund failed to live up to market expectations.
“Magic Millions was a little disappointing, but Don Corleone was a bit special last Saturday,” Snowden said. “In the run, I just got more and more confident, and that’s a pretty good feeling. He is certainly a nice horse.
“King’s Gambit was just as impressive in the spring, and he has taken the right steps since.
“He is fit and well, but it’s just another step to where we are going.
“He has that great demeanour about him and we saw the talent. He ticks a few boxes, but we just want to see him tick a few more on the weekend.
“It’s raceday that counts, and it’s where they show us what we have to work with, and we’ll know a lot more about him after the Canonbury.”
Divine Glory lines up later in the Widden Stakes without the hype around her despite winning over the spring. Snowden has reached for the blinkers for her return but likes the direction the filly is going.
“She’s a nice horse but probably lacks the class of some of the other ones,” Snowden said. “She is a little professional and keeps doing the right things and improving, which is very important.
“She worked pretty well in the blinkers the other morning and might be a surprise packet.”
