Fastnet Rock was represented by stakes winners on three different continents last weekend, writes Sarah Whitelaw.
Fastnet Rock
His daughter, Zhukova, became her sire’s 28th Gr1 winner when victorious in the Man O’War Stakes in the US, daughters, Turret Rocks and Laganore ran 1-2 in Ireland’s Gr3 Blue Wind Stakes, and yet another Fastnet Rock filly, Miss Debutante, captured the Listed Denise’s Joy Stakes in Australia.
Few sires have enjoyed more cross hemisphere success and Fastnet Rock is emulating his sire, Danehill, whose stock found favour the world over.
Danehill left behind 89 Gr1 winners in at least 11 different countries and was a champion sire in both hemispheres.
A perennial leader on the Australian Sires List, Fastnet Rock is enjoying another fine year in 2017. He has already been represented by 15 stakes winners this year. His 2017 black type winners have scored in all of Australia, France, Ireland, Japan and South Africa.
This weekend, Zhukova, the first female since Waya in 1978 to capture the Man O’War Stakes, is also the first Fastnet Rock to win at the highest level in North America.
She is also the fifth Gr1 winner for her sire produced by a daughter of Galileo, with that cross also producing Gr1 Investec Oaks winner, Qualify.
Fastnet Rock is likely to be represented in this year’s major European classics by the likes of Rivet and Intricately, both of whom won Gr 1 races as two-year-olds last year.
Danehill
A dual Champion Sire in Australia (he headed the list in both 2011-2012 and 2014-2015), Fastnet Rock has 115 stakes winners to his credit and his offspring have earned more than AUS$118 million.
In terms of Gr1 winners, Fastnet Rock has sired more individual top flight Gr1 winners than other major Danehill sire sons.
His stock have often shown precocity and he has been represented by four stakes winning 2yos this year (his 2yo daughters Shoals and Formality recently ran 1-2 in a Gr2 contest at Randwick).
Fastnet Rock has also sired his share of horses who stay a mile and a half plus. This category includes the above mentioned Qualify, French Gr2 winner, One Foot In Heaven, Gr3 Vintage Crop Stakes (over2800m) winner, Torecedor, as well as Ilitshe, winner of the Gr3 Caradoc Gold Cup over 2850m. Fastnet Rock looks to have inherited his remarkable versatility as a sire from Danehill, with the latter having sired Gr1 winners from 1000 to 4000 metres.
He is also enjoying increasing success as a sire of sires. For the past two seasons, a son of Fastnet Rock (Hinchinbrook and Smart Missile) has been Champion First Crop Sire in Australia. Currently, Fastnet Rock’s G1 winning son, Your Song, is Australia’s second Leading First Crop Sire by prize money.
Foxwedge
His sons, Hinchinbrook, Foxwedge and Stryker have all sired G1 winners, and Foxwedge and Smart Missile are Australia’s second and third leading second crop sires respectively.
Foxwedge is also sire of smart local runner, Quick Brown Fox, who won her first two outings before taking on Gr1 company in the Cape Fillies Guineas.
The ever growing influence of Fastnet Rock is also felt through his broodmare daughters.
New Predator
He is damsire of Gr1 Schweppes All Aged Stakes winner, Tivaci, while daughter, Head Over Heels, is responsible for South African millionaire and Gr2 Charity Mile winner, New Predator.
It is notable that both Tivaci and New Predator are by Sadler’s Wells line stallions (High Chaparral and New Approach).
Fastnet Rock, like many others from this sire line, has enjoyed phenomenal success when mated to Sadler’s Wells line mares, with no fewer than six of his Gr1 winners to date out of mares from the Sadler’s Wells line.
