BRC Sprint 2016: Snippets lands a huge hit as punters left reeling

SNIPPETS Land foiled a plunge on Religify and also punctured some Stradbroke aspirations when he claimed the Group 3 BRC Sprint.

Genuine horse: Blake Shinn (right) secures the BRC Sprint on Snippets Land at Doomben. Picture: Mark Cranitch

SNIPPETS Land foiled a plunge on Religify and also punctured some Stradbroke aspirations when he produced a career-best to claim the Group 3 BRC Sprint on Saturday.

Religify, a $7 chance in some morning markets, was backed so heavily that his starting price of $3.80 ousted Artlee ($2.80-$3.90) for favouritism.

When Michael Cahill produced Artlee at the 300m it seemed punters had gone the wrong way, but after fighting him off, Religify was left a sitting shot late for $19.50 tote chance Snippets Land.

“I just got softened up mid-race but he showed great tenacity and fight,” James McDonald said of Religify.

Snippets Land’s co-trainer Peter Snowden said the QTC Cup was the next target, but he doubted he would measure up in a Stradbroke.

“I don’t think he’s quite an A-grader. He’s no superstar, but he’s very genuine,” Snowden said.

Winning jockey Blake Shinn said the genuine tempo up front, where Coolring took on Religify, helped negate what could have been an awkward draw for Snippets Land, who was bred and sold by Darling Downs breeding nursery Raheen Stud.

“The horse has been placed particularly well and Peter and Paul (Snowden) have him going great guns,” Shinn said. “He got in well at the weights and he kept trying all the way.”

Blake Shinn and Snippets Land buried favourite backers in the fifth race. Picture: Mark Cranitch

Going into the race, Artlee was the highest-rated runner in Stradbroke betting and he looked set to justify that quote, but let Cahill down when he didn’t fully go on with it in the straight before finishing third.

“I thought I was on the winner on the turn,” Cahill said. “I had a good run and he cruised up outside Religify.

“He just didn’t give me as much as I thought he was going to. I’m not sure why, he may not have backed up from last week. I would have liked to have seen him do a bit more in the run to the line. In saying that, he is going to be better in a race like the Stradbroke. With more tempo, he might hit the line a bit better.”

Artlee faces a task to make the Stradbroke field as he is a long way down the order of entry and may now need to win the QTC Cup on June 4 to secure his place, just as most of the defeated division will need to do if they have any ambitions of winning the $1.5 million sprint.

River Lad (2014) is the only horse to complete the BRC Sprint-Stradbroke double.

Charmed Harmony is certain to make the Stradbroke field, but there’s now a question mark over whether he will run after racing wide and then dropping out to run last.

Originally published as BRC Sprint 2016: Snippets lands a huge hit as punters left reeling