Fastnet Rock colt Glenfiddich finished last season as the toughest juvenile in the country with nine starts on six different tracks in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales and on Saturday he’ll be trying to do what no other three year-old has done in 45 years.
Trained last season by Robbie Griffiths, Glenfiddich is now in the care of champion trainer Peter Moody, who has selected the Group I MRC Memsie Stakes (1400m) at weight-for-age at Caufield as the starting point for his spring campaign.
Glenfiddich will carry only 50.5kg for his attempt to achieve a feat that hasn’t been done in 45 years with Battle Sign being the last three-year-old to win the Memsie Stakes in 1975.
Lightweight jockey Craig Newitt is booked to ride the colt, who was last seen finishing a half neck second to King’s Legacy in the Group I ATC Champagne Stakes over 1600m.
Newitt had a recent feel of Glenfiddich in a track gallop and was convinced the colt has what it takes to be competitive.
“He’s a lovely horse. I galloped him in between races the other day and he’s big brute of an animal,” Newitt told Racenet.
“He’s got to take the next step to open age at weight-for-age but he’s not going to get a better chance with 50.5kg on his back.
“He’s a massive horse. Apparently he used to be a handful but I had no dramas with him when I galloped him.”
A $200,000 Magic Millions purchase from the Edinburgh Park draft for Griffiths Racing/Peter Ford T'bred, Glenfiddich runs for a big syndicate headed by his breeder Ian Smith and has conveniently won back his purchase price earning $217,000 and change.
Glenfiddich is the second winner from Nothin But a Dream (USA), a grand-daughter of US stakes-winner Adarling, who has achieved a lot of success in Australia through another grand-daughter in Mica’s Pride, the dam of Group I stars Criterion and Comin’ Through.
The class Glenfiddich showed in his final run last season bodes well for his chances on Saturday and a further insight into his future might be gained from revisiting the racing career of his sire Fastnet Rock.
The now legendary sire started seven times at two and famously never won a race although was competitive with the best and blossomed at three to become the best three year-old sprinting colt in the land.
How far Glenfiddich goes this season remains to be seen, but in aiming high his connections will not die wondering!
