Bittercreek salutes on Cox Plate Day

Son of Snitzel now a Group winning 2YO and 3YO

Baystone Farm alumni Bittercreek added to his multiple stakes performances as a juvenile when landing an impressive victory in the Group 3 Red Anchor Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on W.S. Cox Plate Day.

Having only the second start of his 3-year-old season and asked to concede weight to all six rivals, the well-bred son of multiple champion sire Snitzel produced a powerful finishing burst in the short Moonee Valley straight to seize control of the $200,000 contest before scoring by three-quarters of a length.

Victory established the prized colt as a Group winning 2YO and 3YO, and took Bittercreek’s record to read two wins plus three placings from seven starts — returning $574,750 in prizemoney. Notably, all seven starts have been in black-type company and include a second placing in the Group 1 JJ Atkins Stakes (1600m) behind subsequent 2023/24 A’asian Champion 2YO, Broadsiding.

Bittercreek has been a flagbearer for the Leon & Troy Corstens & Will Larkin stable since making his debut in February. He was partnered to victory on this occasion by Ben Allen who stated after the win: “He was super. He stepped well and we ended up in a nice spot. The plan was to be a little bit closer, but he can be a bit casual … I just love how he put them away today.”

Allen added: “He’s a bull. He’s very proud of himself. So I just tried to keep him switched on a bit, just to make the start a bit easier for him and myself. We ended up a pair further back, but he built into it nicely and he was too good.”

Bittercreek was purchased by Baystone Farm as a yearling and then subsequently sold privately to his current ownership group after making a very favourable impression in early jump-outs at the beginning of his 2-year-old season.

The Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on VRC Derby Day has been on Bittercreek’s radar for many weeks and co-trainer Troy Corstens confirmed immediately after his Red Anchor success: “A hundred-percent [he’ll take his place next Saturday], he’s backing up … We’ve always thought that he’s such a classy animal. He probably just needed that run.”