Top Australian Sprinter Russian Revolution Retired

Following a scintillating victory by Russian Revolution in the Feb. 24 Ladbrokes Oakleigh Plate (G1) at Australia's Caulfield Racecourse, trainers Peter and Paul Snowden expressed a desire for the owners to keep the speedy 4-year-old in training.

"I think he's still improving," said Paul Snowden. "The older he's getting, the better he's getting."

The trainers' hopes were dashed Feb. 28 when Newgate Farm and China Horse Club announced the colt would join the stallion ranks at Newgate near Aberdeen, Australia, this year for a fee to be determined later.

In his career finale, Russian Revolution prevailed by a neck in the 1,100-meter (about 5 1/2 furlongs) Oakleigh Plate, with less than a length separating the first six finishers. The colt retires with a record of seven wins from 11 starts, with converted earnings of $992,125. Included among his five group stakes victories was the Nathans Famous Hotdogs Galaxy Stakes (G1).

"Russian Revolution has nothing more to prove and the owners have elected to retire him on a winning note," Peter Snowden said on the Snowden Racing website. "He's absolutely one of the quickest horses we have ever trained."

"(Russian Revolution) is a remarkable racehorse," Newgate Farm's Henry Field added. "There are not exactly a heap of those 1,100-meter group 1s, and to win both The Galaxy and now the Oakleigh, is really special."

Bred in Australia by John Stuart Investments, Russian Revolution was purchased for the equivalent of $244,256 at the 2015 Inglis Easter yearling sale.

Though sired by leading Australian sire Snitzel, Russian Revolution descends from a top-class female family rich with North American and European blood. The colt's dam, the winning Stravinsky mare Ballet d'Amour, also produced Australian group 3 winner Turbo Miss and is a half sister to the multiple stakes-winning Tale of the Cat  mare Taletobetold. Among the black-type winners under the third dam is European group 1 winner Majestic Roi.

Fanfreluche, the fourth dam of Russian Revolution, was Canadian Horse of the Year and later sold as a broodmare prospect to prominent American horseman Bertram R. Firestone for a then-world-record price of $1.3 million. Among Fanfreluche's produce were two-time Canadian Horse of the Year and sire L'Enjoleur, three-time Canadian champion La Voyageuse, and Canadian champion 2-year-old and sire Medaille d'Or.