Darling View Thoroughbred’s G2 winning Snitzel son Splintex continues to be popular with leading WA breeders and the young stallion has a big draft of 25 yearlings to tempt buyers at the upcoming Perth Magic Millions.
The first winner for Splintex has arrived with impeccable timing in the leadup to the sale, which runs through February 19th -20th.
And what a way to kick things off, with his daughter They'reallsisters posting an impressive and hard-fought victory at her second race start in the Magic Millions 2Y0 Plate over 1200m at Ascot.
The David Harrison trained They'reallsisters went through the ring as part of her sire’s first crop last year when consigned by Ridgeport Holdings as agent, and she became the second highest priced Splintex in the sale when falling to the $90,000 bid of Ryan Fuller.
The filly trialled impressively before making her debut over 1100m, coming home hard for second as the Luke Fernie stable's well related colt Boy Crush (Manhattan Rain) skipped away to an easy victory.
Punters backed the colt to make it two from two in the 1200m Magic Millions Plate and sent him to post a $1.80 favourite over They'reallsisters at $3.40, with only Optimus Prime (Safeguard) at $10 and Nicaboom (Spirit Of Boom) at $13 attracting any market support outside the top two in the field of eleven runners.
A couple of interesting debutantes were Shenton Road (a half sister by Toronado to the Karrakatta Plate winner Dig Deep) and the Spirit Of Boom colt Spirit Of Belle who had drawn the rail and shown ability in his trials.
On jumping newcomer Shenton Road missed the kick and had to do a bit of work to take up a position near the tail of the field, as Sovereign Rock (Awesome Rock) flew the gates and was quickly into stride for jockey Joey Azzopardi.
He took up the lead with Boy Crush (Holly Watson) beginning smartly to position outside him and Lucy Fiore immediately slotting They'reallsisters into an ideal spot behind them.
Manhattan Squeeze( Manhattan Rain) was prominent, as was newcomer Spirit Of Belle.
Sovereign Rock took the youngsters along at a solid clip and as the field approached the home turn some were feeling the pinch. As they began to fan out, the leader railed like a little professional but Boy Crush was travelling better, and moved up strongly to hit the front halfway down the straight.
Holly Watson and Boy Crush were being hailed the winners, but the wide-blazed face of They’reallsisters was suddenly looming large in their rear vision mirror! A perfectly judged ride by Fiore had the filly following the favourite's every move throughout the race and she was ready to pounce.
The Splintex filly knuckled down to her task and showed some real grit for Fiore when her rival gave a big kick and momentarily looked like he had her measure. She showed great heart and wore down the colt in the last few strides to beat him by a neck - and even the score between them.
It was absolute daylight to the rest of the field, who finished four lengths in arrears of the first two home.
They’reallsisters now has a win and a second from two starts for earnings of $58,720 and the talented youngster is already well on the way to recouping her purchase price!
Trainer David Harrison is a part owner of the filly, who is bound for the rich Magic Millions WA 2YO Classic (RL) to be held at Pinjarra Park in three weeks time.
“We'll just poke along with her, she is pretty fit” he said.
“She has come on in leaps and bounds and she can go better too. She ducked and dived a couple of times but she'll learn a lot from that.”
“I think she is up there with them” said the veteran trainer of his previous MM Classic winners Rose Of Thunder, Western Fever, Jericho Missile and Gemma's Son.
“She's a real running sort of horse and a natural two year old type, a bit more laid back than some of the others.”
It was Lucy Fiore's first ride on They'reallsisters.
“She’s awesome!” enthused the star hoop.
“She’s very cruisy, in running she’ll do whatever you ask for. She got a little bit lost in the straight so she’s got more to learn, but with her ability and the previous race experience, when he (Boy Crush) skipped away a bit she knew she had to try really hard to catch him.”
They’reallsisters and Boy Crush were clearly the superior juveniles in the race, and they join last week’s explosive debut winner Daryte (Portland Sky) at the head of Magic Millions Classic betting.
An athletic and typey chestnut, They’reallsisters has the distinctive look of her damsire Husson about her, while sire Splintex has endowed his daughter with plenty of his own quality and dazzling precocity.
Bred by Ms M Ojapold who retains an interest, They'reallsisters is a half sister to the winning Rommel gelding Bold Hero and is the fourth foal from her winning dam River Hussy (Husson), who has had three to race for two winners.
River Hussy was not served in 2024, then produced a colt by Splintex in 2025.
She was one of four winners (all her foals) from the stakes placed Mossman daughter Moss River who won four races and placed in the G3 BRC Vo Rogue Plate.
Moss River in turn was the best performed among four winners from four to race for the winning Danehill mare Flying Alice.
That well bred matron was a daughter of Alicia by broodmare sire supreme Darshaan, a half sister to stakes winning filly Silent Tribute. Bred in Ireland, Alicia was imported into Australia in 1997 and returned to her homeland in 2006, and she too left four winners!
This female line a branch of family 10-c descending from the fine mare Mesopotamia, a Champion 2YO of GB / IRE and the ancestress of sires such as Volksraad, Halling, Mukhadram and Rip Van Winkle.
This filly’s family is that of Mesopotamia’s daughter Bellitis who placed in a G1 Coronation Stakes.
The beautifully bred Splintex was a scintillating juvenile performer himself as befits a son of the mighty Snitzel from a stakes placed daughter of the elite juvenile filly Hips Don’t Lie (Stravinsky).
Splintex was selected by the Atwell family of Darling View Thoroughbreds as the perfect fit for Western Australia and a worthy replacement for their sadly short lived stallion I’m All The Talk (Stratum) who had met with immediate success at stud.
Splintex hails from a family that has had extraordinary success in the west descending from the influential mare Bibiana Girl.
His dam Acquired by the legendary O'Reilly is a multiple black type producer and one of nine winners from nine to race for the flying Hips Don’t Lie, an outstanding individual on the track and in the stud.
Five of the Inglis Easter yearlings out of Hips Don't Lie have sold for $1 million or more - the full sisters Lake Geneva, Irish Sea and Sia by Fastnet Rock, and their half sisters Humming ( I Am Invincible) and the promising 3YO Shinjina (Snitzel).
She is dam of the Fastnet Rock sired juvenile stakes winners Ennis Hill ( dam of G2 winning 2YO filly and G1 placed 3YO Learning To Fly by Justify) and Lake Geneva, who placed in both the Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper.
Hips Don't Lie had two sons by “The Rock.”
Acrobat was retained by Coolmore after he didn't meet his $1 million reserve. Winner of the Inglis Millenium RL in race record time at his only race start, he is a popular young sire with his first runners on the track this season and he already has two winners.
Splintex won twice as an Autumn 2YO in Sydney where he beat future G1 winner Exceedance and returned at three to take the G2 Arrowfield Sprint on Day Two of The Championships at Randwick, a race in which he showed courage and tenacity to overhaul the highly rated Godolphin filly Flit.
He earned his commercial stud laurels with that victory, but raced on to take the G3 Hallmark Stakes and won a memorable edition of the G2 Bobbie Lewis Quality when he rocketed down the Flemington straight six to beat star mare Away Game despite giving her weight.
Importantly, the handsome son of the recently deceased supersire and sire of sires Snitzel retired sound, boasting an impressive race record of 7 wins from 24 starts and earnings of $1.18 million.
He handled all going and was no juvenile flash in the pan, rather proving to be a tenacious competitor at the top level - and there’s no reason to doubt that his progeny will follow in his hoofsteps.
They'reallsisters is bred
Danehill 4m x 4f sex balanced
Her damsire Husson by Hussonet was an undefeated Champion 2YO of Argentina who is best remembered as the sire of dual G1 winner Lucky Hussler and has had good success as a broodmare sire.
He was strongly linebred to Bull Dog and this blood and that of full brother Sir Gallahad is particularly strong in Snitzel.
Sex balanced duplication of Mill Reef and of his sire Never Bend, Nijinsky and My Babu are also a feature of this pedigree.
Linebreeding to the family of Frizette 13-c (Mr Prospector, Darshaan, Roy, Djeddah and Tourbillon through the dam ) works well with members of the wider 13 family carried by Splintex notably his damsire O'Reilly, Vain, Princely Gift and Sovereign Edition.
Standing at Darling View Thoroughbreds alongside WA's champion sire Playing God, Lucky Street and freshman sire Lightsaber, Splintex commands a fee of $7,700.
