1989: two-year-old season Snurge made his first appearance in the
Haynes, Hanson and Clark Conditions Stakes over one mile at
Newbury Racecourse on 22 September and finished third of the nine runners behind Tanfith. A month later he ran in a ten
furlong maiden race at
Nottingham. He took the lead briefly before finishing second to
Blue Stag, a horse who went on to be the runner-up in the 1990
Epsom Derby. In November, Snurge was sent to France and moved up in class to contest the
Group One Critérium de Saint-Cloud. He finished first by three lengths from Intimiste, but was "controversially"
1990: three-year-old season Snurge missed the early part of the 1990 season before reappearing at the Ascot Heath meeting after
Royal Ascot in which he contested the
Churchill Stakes, finishing second by a head to Middle Kingdom. After a break of two months, Snurge returned to the racecourse in the
Great Voltigeur Stakes at
York. He started the 22/1 outsider of the five horse field, which was headed by the
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner
Belmez. Snurge took the lead in the straight and stayed on strongly before being caught in the last strides and beaten a head by Belmez. On 15 September at
Doncaster, Snurge started second favourite for the St Leger at odds of 7/2, with the
filly Hellenic, the winner of the
Ribblesdale Stakes and the
Yorkshire Oaks starting favourite at 2/1. The two leading horses in the betting dominated the closing stages of the race with Snurge taking the lead from Hellenic in the straight and running on strongly to beat the filly by three quarters of a length. He was recording his first ever win, becoming the first maiden to win the St Leger for seventy-seven years. In October, Snurge contested the
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at
Longchamp, the most prestigious race of the European flat-racing season. In a finish dominated by three-year-old colts he finished third, beaten three quarters of a length and half a length by
Saumarez and
Epervier Bleu.
1991: four-year-old season Snurge began his four-year-old season by winning the
Listed Aston Park Stakes at Newbury and was then sent to Italy where he won the Group One
Gran Premio di Milano. After a mid-summer break, Snurge started favourite for the
Grand Prix de Deauville and won by a neck. Snurge's three victories led to his being considered a serious contender for the 1991 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and he started the 8/1 fourth favourite behind the three-year-olds
Generous,
Suave Dancer and
Pistolet Bleu. He failed to produce his best form and finished last of the fourteen runners. Later in October, Snurge was sent to Italy where he finished third in the
Gran Premio del Jockey Club in Milan before winning the Premio Roma Vecchia in Rome.
1992: five-year-old season Snurge began his five-year-old season by finishing third in
Yorkshire Cup before running unplaced in the
Coronation Cup and the Gran Premio di Milano. He then ran second in four successive races, finishing runner-up in the
Grosser Preis von Berlin, the
Aral-Pokal, the Grand Prix de Deauville and the
Irish St. Leger. He was then sent to Canada to contest the
Canadian International Stakes at
Woodbine Racetrack on 18 October. Snurge finished second by half a length to the French-trained colt Wiorno, but was awarded the race on a disqualification, after the racecourse stewards' found that Wiorno had repeatedly bumped the third place Ghazi in an "incredibly tight finish". The beaten horses included
Urban Sea and
Mashaallah. The disqualification was appealed but Snurge's victory was confirmed by the
Ontario Racing Commission in November. On his final appearance of the season he returned to Europe and finished unplaced in the Premio Roma Vecchia.
1993–1994: later career Snurge ran six times as a six-year-old in 1993. His progress was hindered by a viral infection in the early part of the season. He finished sixth behind
Vintage Crop when favourite for the Irish St. Leger three weeks later. In 1994, Snurge continued to compete in major middle-distance races but failed to win. His best performances came when he finished second in the Gran Premio di Milano and the
Prix Maurice de Nieuil and third in the Aral-Pokal. He was injured when finishing last of the six runners in the
Cumberland Lodge Stakes at Ascot in September and was retired to stud. ==Stud career==