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The only Snitzel weanling colt to be offered this year is a Great Southern Sale headline act.
Noorilim Park has a diverse draft of weanlings at this week's Great Southern Sale, but one is turning more heads than most.
Lot 26, the first youngster Noorilim will send through the Oaklands Junction sale ring on Thursday, is a unique offering when it comes to weanlings available in Australia this year.
The chestnut colt is the only son of Snitzel who will be offered as a weanling in 2022.
Almost 650 weanlings were offered at sales in Sydney and the Gold Coast with the Emirates Park-prepared filly who sold for $145,000 at Magic Millions last month the only product of the four-time Australian Champion Stallion so far offered as a weanling.
It has ensured the spotlight has shone brightly on the Noorilim barn and the Arcadia farm's operations manager Chris Kent hasn't been shocked at his popularity.
"There's always going to be interest in a horse like that," Kent said. "He's been on a lot of people's lists."
The Snitzel colt is out of the I Am The Invincible mare Queen Of The Air, who is a three-quarter-sister to Flight Stakes winner and Golden Slipper runner-up Oohood.
Queen Of The Air is out of the Flying Spur mare Flying Single, a half-sister to Not A Single Doubt, who also has ATC Sires' and Champagne Stakes winner King's Legacy on the page.
He has the potential to be a seven-figure yearling if he develops strongly this year, but Kent said the decision was made to cash in on the strength of the vibrant weanling sale market.
"While the weanling market is so hot, we thought why not throw a horse like him into the sale and see what he can do while the market is doing so well," Kent said.
"We would hope that he would be one of the headline lots here at the sale.
"Fingers crossed. If we can get a good result for the breeders, that will be fantastic."
The Snitzel colt is one of 11 weanlings, by 10 different stallions, from Noorilim at the sale that sees 360 lots catalogued in the select session, which will take in all of Thursday – starting from 10am – and half of Friday.
The 17 weanlings who make up the general section will then be offered to be followed by the 15 supplementary weanlings.
Following the Day 2 weanlings, the Great Southern Broodmare Sale will be held with 93 mares, including some in-foal to Kingman, So You Think and Russian Revolution, to be auctioned.
"This year's catalogue has all the right ingredients for buyers to enjoy success, no matter what their end goal is,'' Inglis' Victorian bloodstock manager James Price said of the Great Southern Sale.
"There have been some fantastic stories from the sale in recent years and some life changing results, so we are looking forward to another competitive renewal of the sale.''
