Gerald Ryan has played a major role in turning Snitzel into a serious contender for the title of Australia’s leading sire and the trainer is not finished yet.

Snitzel is closing in on his own sire and fellow Arrowfield stallion, Redoute’s Choice, on the general sires’ list for 2013/14 with just $371,058 separating the pair as of Monday.

Ryan, who prepared Snitzel to win the 2006 Oakleigh Plate, has had four stakes winners by the stallion this term with Snitzerland leading his team courtesy of her Group One Lightning Stakes win.

The mare is entered for Saturday’s Group One BTC Cup at Doomben along with stablemate Hot Snitzel while another stablemate, two-year-old Time For War also has Brisbane winter carnival targets starting with the Champagne Classic.

The now-retired Cox Plate-Australian Guineas winner, the Danny O’Brien-trained Shamus Award, is Snitzel’s highest earner while star sprinter Lankan Rupee leads the pack for Redoute’s Choice.

The weather will determine if Snitzerland takes her place in the BTC Cup but Hot Snitzel and Time For War will both start, wet or dry.

Time For War made a winning debut in November then returned in the autumn to claim the Group Two Pago Pago Stakes before running fourth in the Group One Sires’ Produce Stakes won by his stablemate Peggy Jean.

“He has done very well since the Sires and will be the only two-year-old we are taking to Queensland,” Ryan said.

“He is entered for the J J Atkins next month but I’m not sure at this stage whether he is ready for 1600 metres yet.

“We will play it by ear.”

Time For War and Melbourne filly Eloping, winner of last month’s Group Three Royal Randwick Stakes, head the 14 entries taken for the Champagne Classic on Monday.

Mohave, winner of the Listed Blue Diamond Preview and Shaumari, third to Eloping at Randwick, are entered for Sheikh Mohammed’s new Australian trainer John O’Shea.