Top colt dropping it like it's hot

By Jordan Gerrans

The loyal team behind promising youngster Da Snoop Dog have finally been rewarded for their patience and determination with the talented colt. 

Prepared by Simon Foster at the Gold Coast, Da Snoop Dog was regarded as a two-year-old on the rise following two smart trial victories in September (Doomben) and November (Gold Coast) of last year.

In his second trial, the son of Capitalist defeated Listed Phelan Ready champion of 2024 Hi Barbie who went on to race in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic just a few months later. 

The colt was aimed for the rich Inglis Nursery at Randwick in late 2024 before likely heading for a spell and looking towards Brisbane’s winter carnival of 2025.

The boom talent was forced to miss both of those assignments as he was on the sidelines for the next year recovering from getting bone chips removed.

While it was a low-key debut compared to his early lofty ambitions, Da Snoop Dog was finally at the races on Friday evening and showed exactly why Foster and his stable have always had high hopes.

Hoop Boris Thornton put the now three-year-old up on the speed after jumping from a wide barrier and Da Snoop Dog did the rest to score by more than a length. 

The 53-year-old Foster was a relieved man to see his potential stable star finally put it all together at the races.

“He is a horse that has always shown us a lot of ability all the way through as a two-year-old,” the trainer said.

“Obviously he has had a lot of issues and it has been a long road back for him. There is a lot of credit that needs to go to a lot of people, not just myself.

“The vets at Crown Equine are probably sick of me ringing them every second day about him, just double checking him and going over things.

“He has been in work for three months this horse, just slowly building him up. The blokes in the horse with me, they have been patient.

“They have let me have my way, which makes my job easier.”

Interestingly, Da Snoop Dog did not have an official trial before his maiden appearance on Friday evening at Caloundra with the stable relying on jump-outs and course proper gallops at the Gold Coast. 

The now Hong Kong-based James Orman and the retired Michael Cahill rode him in his first two trials late last year. 

Thornton was smiling to pick up the plum ride.

“Obviously Simon has always had a good opinion of him and I was lucky to be able to pilot him,” Thornton said.

“I rode him in a jump-out the other week and he gave me a really nice feel.

“It gave me the impression that he had a fair bit of ability there. He is a really nice horse on the way up.”

Multiple Group 1-winning hoop Cahill was set to ride Da Snoop Dog at Newcastle late last year before the colt’s troubles started. 

Despite retiring from race riding earlier this year, Cahill still gives Foster a hand with the youngster and rode him in a course proper gallop recently. 

Foster was full of praise for the effort Cahill has put in behind the scenes. 

And, in turn, the former hoop applauded the training effort of Foster over the last year or so. 

“Simon has been patient with the horse, which not everyone can be when they have an unraced youngster showing good ability,” Cahill said. 

“The temptation to race them as soon as possible can be quite strong. But, he waited until he thought the horse was spot on before producing him.

“Getting him fit enough to win first-up over 1000 metres, which can be quite testing at the Sunshine Coast, was no mean feat.

“The horse had a long lay-off and was nowhere near ready when I rode him in his course proper gallop.

“He improved quiet considerably fitness wise by the time his jump-out came around and obviously improved again from there to race night.”

Foster describes his potential stable star as a ‘trainable’ horse as he takes everything in his stride.

As the team had to bring him back from a lengthy injury rehabilitation, Foster says he took a long and slow approach with Da Snoop Dog to strengthen up his body. 

“He is an eye-catcher,” he said.

“He does not have the best confirmation in the world. I still don’t know how I got him so cheap in Sydney.

“He is a lovely-bodied horse and has a lovely attitude, as well. It has taken him a long way, just being how he is. The credit needs to go to the horse really.”

The debutant winner is raced with Foster alongside other Queensland-based owners Benjamin Gordon, Robert Tucker and Bruce Jamieson. 

As Cahill notes, it is a big effort for the three-year-old to win on debut at the Sunshine Coast over 1000 metres.

To make the victory even more so significant, he did so in the last event of the night under lights at a busy Caloundra meeting.

Hoop Thornton says the win was full of merit as the galloper is still ‘new and raw’.

“His ability got him over the line and he still has a lot of improvement there,” Thornton said.

“He is an exciting horse.”

Cahill is now preparing the next generation of the Sunshine State’s jockeys as an Apprentice Jockey Coach for Racing Queensland.

Like many of his students, the former hoop says Foster’s galloper is on the way up.

“He is a nice moving horse who gave me a quality feel,” Cahill said. 

“He looks to have a bright future.”

Da Snoop Dog was a relatively cheap $8,000 purchase through Inglis’ Yearling Sale draft.

The well-travelled Foster has been back in Australia based on the Gold Coast for the last few years after previously basing his team in Korea, Victoria and Western Australia.

Queensland is a state where Foster has enjoyed feature success before.

With gelding Trusted Partner, he won the 2011 Listed Lightning Stakes at Eagle Farm with Dwayne Dunn doing the steering.