Snowfall (horse)

Snowfall (9 February 2018 – 11 January 2022) was a Japanese-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2021 Epsom Oaks, Irish Oaks, and Yorkshire Oaks. She showed promising but unremarkable form as a two-year-old in 2020, winning one minor race from seven starts. The following year she improved dramatically, winning the Group 3 Musidora Stakes and then taking the Epsom Oaks by a record margin of sixteen lengths. She went on to win emphatic victories in the Irish Oaks and the Yorkshire Oaks over older horses.

Snowfall was euthanized on 11 January 2022 following an injury in her stable.

Snowfall was a bay filly with a white sock on her left hind leg, bred in Japan by Roncon, Chelston Ire & Wynatt, a breeding company associated with John Magnier's Coolmore Stud. The filly was sent into training with Aidan O'Brien at Ballydoyle and raced in the colours of the Coolmore partners Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor.

She was from the eleventh crop of foals sired by Deep Impact, who was the Japanese Horse of the Year in 2005 and 2006, winning races including the Tokyo Yushun, Tenno Sho, Arima Kinen and Japan Cup. Deep Impact's other progeny include Gentildonna, Harp Star, Kizuna, A Shin Hikari, Marialite and Saxon Warrior. Snowfall's dam Best In The World, showed high-class racing ability, winning two of her nine races including the Give Thanks Stakes, and was a full-sister to Found. Her dam Red Evie won the Lockinge Stakes and was related to the Ascot Gold Cup winner Random Shot.

Snowfall made her racecourse debut in a five and a half furlong maiden race at Navan Racecourse on 10 June in which she was ridden by Seamie Heffernan, finishing third behind Frenetic and Mother Earth (also trained by O'Brien). Eighteen days later she started 4/7 favourite for a maiden at the Curragh but came home eighth of the nine runners after being badly hampered in the last quarter mile. Wayne Lordan took the ride when Snowfall started favourite for a similar event over the same course and distance on 28 July and recorded her first success as she took the lead a furlong from the finish and won "readily" by half a length from Sister Rosetta.

On 8 August Snowfall was stepped up in class for the Group 3 Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown Racecourse. With Lordan again in the saddle she started the 3/1 second favourite but never looked likely to win after a slow start and finished fourth of the eight runners behind her stablemate Shale. Despite her defeat the filly was moved up in grade again for the Group 2 Debutante Stakes on soft ground at the Curragh where she was ridden by Lordan and started at odds of 7/1 in an eight-runner field. She raced in second place behind her stablemate Finest before taking the lead two furlongs out but faded badly in the closing stages and came home fifth behind Pretty Gorgeous, Shale, Mother Earth and Meala. Snowfall was then promoted to the highest level to contest the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh on 13 September. Starting a 25/1 outsider, she raced in second place for most of the way before dropping out of contention in the final furlong and finishing ninth behind Shale, beaten ten lengths by the winner.

For her final run of the year Snowfall was sent to England and moved up in distance for the Group 1 Fillies' Mile at Newmarket Racecourse on 9 October when she started a 50/1 outsider and finished eighth behind Pretty Gorgeous. She was initially reported to have finished in third place, while her stablemate Mother Earth had finished eighth, but in a bizarre postscript to the race it was revealed that the two Aidan O'Brien runners had carried the wrong number cloths and been ridden by the wrong jockeys, meaning that the filly who finished third was actually Mother Earth.

On her first appearance as a three-year-old, Snowfall was sent to York Racecourse in England for the Group 3 Musidora Stakes (a trial race for the Epsom Oaks) over ten furlongs on 12 May and started a 14/1 outsider in a seven-runner field. Ridden by Ryan Moore she led from the start and drew away from her opponents in the final furlong to win by three and three quarter lengths from the favoured Noon Star, with Teona taking third place ahead of Mystery Angel. After the race Moore said "It wasn't the plan to lead, but she took advantage of the situation and was good and smooth and went through the gears well... She always looked like a nice filly," he said. "She showed a good attitude and picked up well. It looked like a strong race beforehand and I am very happy with her. She ran in all the best races last year and it didn't happen for her, but she certainly has plenty of class."