Ultimate Sniper hits new heights

The Inter Dominion champion and NZ Horse of the Year Ultimate Sniper, who is standing at Allwood Stud Farm in Western Australia, sired an amazing four two-year-old winners in the space of 24 hours this week.

The chain started with the talented colt Usyk, who led throughout for an effortless win in the opening heat of Vicbred Super Series for two-year-old colts and geldings at Bendigo.

It was his sixth success from 12 starts including the Victoria Youthful Stakes at Melton in August.

On the same day Ultimate Sniper was represented by two new winners in the filly Snipers Fire, who emerged successful on debut in 1:56.4 at Bathurst, and Bersagliere, a winner over older, more experienced rivals at Globe Derby Park.

Then on Thursday at Kilmore, the Ultimate Sniper colt Floppa unleashed a long, sustained run from midfield to post his first win at his third start.

Ultimate Sniper is now the second leading colonial bred two-year-old sire this season with eight winners from 12 starters from a foal crop of 36 – a creditable 33 percent starters-to-foals ratio.

A top racehorse himself, winning almost $850,000 with nine Group successes including two Derbies, Ultimate Sniper was the NZ 3YO, 4YO and Pacer of the Year.

Ultimate Sniper is a quality young horse bred on a classic cross of blood – that of Bettor’s Delight his sire and Armbro Operative his maternal sire. Bettor’s Delight has been the premier Australian sire for the last 13 years and now his sons are achieving distinctions of the same order.

Reality Check, the dam of Ultimate Sniper, was one of the many grand producing daughters of a leading sire in Armbro Operative, who twice topped the all aged and three-year-old sires’ list.

A listed winner of $139,495, Reality Check is the dam of three Group 1 winners in Ultimate Sniper, Ultimate Machete (also a successful sire) and Major Reality and she was voted the NZ Broodmare of the Year in 2019.

Ultimate Sniper is a member of the prolific Bonnie Belle family whose members include Tuapeka Knight (NZ 2YO of the Year and sire), the Breeders Crown and Derby hero Ideal Scott, and other good sorts in Machtu, Mister Odds On and Eloquent Mach.

The Bonnie Belle tribe is one of the most highly prized in NZ today.

Ultimate Sniper has stood his last two seasons at the Allwood Stud, of Bob and Marilyn Fowler, Bullsbrook, who have a wealth of well-bred young stock by him and in-foal mares.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink