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By Ray Hickson

The Snowden stable has won Everests, Golden Slippers and countless other major races on the calendar but few are as close to Peter Snowden’s heart as a little $29,000 two-year-old event on a Sunday in June at Muswellbrook.

That’s the Greg Cribb Memorial 'Red Crown' Handicap (900m) and this year Peter and Paul Snowden will be represented by promising debutante Ballon Bleu.

It’s a race named in honour of Peter Snowden’s brother-in-law, who died in a car accident in 2004, and it’s a day where Greg’s family and friends come together to remember him and share good times.

“It’s a day we always come back for, it’s a special day for the family,’’ Snowden, who started his training career in nearby Scone, said.

“For us it’s a day to remember old times and see old friends we don’t catch up with a lot.

Lyn and Peter Snowden with Ranges after winning the 2021 Shorty Cribb Aberdeen Cup. (Pic: Bradley Photos)

“You never want to forget those sort of people so it rekindles the memory of what they did and what they meant to everyone.

“We have a couple of tables upstairs and have lunch together. It’s always a great day.”

The family theme continues through the day with Snowden Racing sponsoring a race plus there’s the running of the Shorty Cribb Aberdeen Cup which honours Lyn Snowden’s (Peter’s wife) late father.

Ranges won that race for the stable for the first time last year but in the two-year-old feature the Snowdens are chasing a fifth win, with their last success coming in 2019 with Yitai Synergy.

He first won the race in 2009 with a first starter Shakes, while head trainer for Darley (now Godolphin), and is confident Ballon Bleu can be competitive despite drawing near the outside.

The filly was scratched from Warwick Farm last Wednesday in the hope of striking a less heavy surface than what was on offer and the Greg Cribb race serves as a timely backup.

“The two-year-old race is the one we always head up for, we’ve it four times and run second a couple of times,’’ he said.

“It came up a bit quick this year. We had her in on Wednesday and it was pretty wet there. I remembered about this race on Sunday so hopefully we can get a better track.

“She’s not a big filly and still a bit immature but she has ability. The draw isn’t a help but she will run well.”

All the fields, form and replays for Sunday's Muswellbrook meeting