MY SNOW QUEEN RULES AT BEAUDESERT

By Graham Potter | Saturday, December 24, 2022

My Snow Queen, a four-year-old mare trained by David Vandyke, saluted first-up for her new stable in her first start following a four-and-a-half month layoff from race action when taking out a Class 2 Handicap over 1200m at Beaudesert on December 24.

The daughter of Star Turn had previously had thirteen starts for trainer John Sargent (for one win) before being transferred to the John Smerden stable where she had another three starts (for another win) before moving on again, this time to join the David Vandyke yard.

My Snow Queen won a trial on December 13 in preparation for her first-up run and that showing, combined with Vandyke’s reputation of improving horses when they come into his stable, was enough to see My Snow Queen installed a $2.30 favourite for the Beaudesert contest.

My Snow Queen carried 59kg, conceding from 0.5kg to 4.5kg to her eight rivals, but jockey Matthew Powell had no hesitation in putting the Vandyke trained runner right up on the speed, settling in a very prominent second place in the running as Exlover ($16) set a speed up front which stretched the field out behind the first two runners.

Powell again was very positive when he moved My Snow Queen up alongside Exlover approaching the 400m, just before the field took closer order.

It did take My Snow Queen all of another 250m to get the better of a very stubborn Exlover who refused to give way lightly, but My Snow Queen got that particular job done coming through the 150m mark.

Even that close to home, the job was still not done and My Snow Queen still had to kick on well enough to see off the late challenge of Mount Fuji ($6) and Without Shame ($5.50), who both rallied strongly late but failed to reel in My Snow Queen who beat this duo home by 0.20 lengths and 0.60 lengths respectively.

Just as an aside ... while racing might be termed the Sport Of Kings, the first two runners past the post here exemplifies the often random nature of what you get when you purchase a racehorse.

My Snow Queen was a $5000 purchase in 2019. She was passed in at the Magic Millions sales in 2020 (only reaching a bid of $2000 on a $5000 reserve) before being sold for $15 000 at a sale later in 2020. She was then withdrawn from yet another sale, again in 2020.

Hardly a horse in demand, but to date she has earned $89 280.

By contrast, the second placed horse here, Mount Fuji, was purchased as a yearling for a whopping $2.8 million.

After four winless starts for the Snowden training team, Mount Fuji was bought on an on-line auction for $75 000. Since then, he has had nine further starts for a Maiden win

Mount Fuji has currently earned $62 190 in prize-money

Such is the gamble in owning a racehorse.

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