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.

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.

Despite her defeat the filly was moved up in grade again for the Group 2 Debutante Stakes on soft ground at the Curragh in which 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.

[6] 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.

[8] 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.

"[10] On 4 June Snowfall, with Frankie Dettori in the saddle, was one of fourteen fillies to contest the 243rd running of the Oaks Stakes (sponsored by Cazoo) over one and a half miles on good to soft ground on a rainy day at Epsom Racecourse.

Dettori settled the filly towards the rear as Mystery Angel set the pace and was still well back in the field as the runners entered the straight and tracked across to race up the stands side rail.

She then made rapid progress, bumping Sherbet Lemon as she did so, overtook Mystery Angel two furlongs out, and drew right away from her rivals in the closing stages to win by a record margin of sixteen lengths.

Ridden by Moore, she raced in fourth place as her stablemate La Joconde set the pace, before moving up to take the lead entering the last quarter mile.

After racing in mid-division she made steady progress in the straight but never looked likely to reel in Teona and sustained her first defeat of the season as she was beaten one and a half lengths into second place.