Platinum Thoroughbreds is pleased to announce the return to Victoria of Fastnet Rock's outstanding son Stryker.
Kicking off his stud career in Victoria, the imposing Gr.3 winner has spent the last three years serving small books in Wakool, New South Wales.
Upon noticing that he was not getting the support worthy of a horse of his class, Platinum's Rene Hoefchen and Sarah Pfeiffer set out to bring him home.
"We thought bringing Stryker back to a more accessible location in Victoria could see his books once again grow to a level you'd expect for a stallion like him," they said.
"And we think he is a great addition to our stallion roster, standing alongside Scorpz who is a great fit for many of our mares but not all of them... and Stryker nicely fills the gap in our breeding program."
Doing their research, Hoefchen and Sarah Pfeiffer quizzed trainers about their Stryker progeny... "we heard nothing but great things about his babies, and nothing but great things about his own nature."
"We wanted a stallion with a temperament to match Scorpz's, one who would fit in nicely at our family run stud. And Stryker just ticked all the boxes for us... we consider ourselves exceptionally lucky to stand two stallions who have not only ability but great natures."
A horse who caught the eye from day one, Stryker was a $600,000 Easter purchase for the Ingham family, racing in their famous colours with the Chris Waller stable.
On the back of good trial form starting favourite at his Rosehill debut in December 2008, finishing a game second over 1100m - going on to prove competitive in Sydney's two-year-old features; right in the thick of things when third in the Gr.2 Pago Pago Stakes.
At his first three-year-old outing making the pace and finishing a fighting second in The Rosebud, Stryker was a gallant Gr.1 Golden Rose third behind Denman and Trusting. He took that good form to the Listed Heritage Stakes, a race in which he showed great determination - clearly headed and fighting back .
All the stronger as an autumn three-year-old, Stryker was caught wide when finishing a particularly gutsy third in a Gr.2 Challenge Stakes run in record time. Next time out taking on the older horses in the Gr.1 Galaxy, he again covered ground and was not in the best part of the track - yet was still able to box on strongly into third behind Shellscrape and Swift Alliance.
Another wide gate saw Stryker suffer another bad luck story when finishing on the heels of the placegetters in the Gr.3 Gold Coast Guineas but at his next start he was able to atone with a dominant victory in the Gr.3 BTC Classic at Doomben.
Not at his best on rain affected tracks prior to his retirement in 2011, Stryker struck Gr.1 success in his very first crop with Rangipo, tough winner of the New Zealand Derby and three races at Gr.2 level.
Also the sire in that initial crop of the speedy Listed winning two-year-old Strykum, Stryker has been siring winners from smaller crops since. He is one of 12 sons of Danehill's dual Gr.1 winning sprinter Fastnet Rock to have sired stakes winners... and of course Fastnet Rock, who was crowned the 2011/12 Australian Champion Sire, is a super horse... well represented by 166 stakes winners including 40 Gr.1 winners.
Bred on the same Fastnet Rock/Woodman cross as the Gr.1 winner Atlante and the in-form stallion Rothesay, Stryker hails from one of Australia's favourite and most prolific families with his fourth dam being the wonderful Denise's Joy.
A multiple Gr.1 winner who has well and truly left her mark on Australian racing, she is ancestress of the big race winners More Joyous, Tuesday Joy, Sunday Joy, Thorn Park, Euphoria, Miss Danehill, Joie de Grise, Secret Agenda, Arlington Road, Joie Denise, Fenway and Bentley Biscuit.
Stryker is one of six winners produced by the dual city winning Woodman (outstanding broodmare sire influence with 226 stakes winners including 31 Gr.1 winners) mare Laetitia, dam of another three stakes performers and grandam of the South African stakes winner Buckinghamsire.
Laetitia is a full sister to the stakes winner Conspectus whilst her dam Planet Hollywood is a half-sister to the Gr.1 Champagne Stakes winner Euphoria, the Gr.2 Pago Pago Stakes winner Christmas Tree and the Listed winner Jewel In The Crown.
For further information on Stryker's return to Victoria contact Platinum Thoroughbreds Victoria on 0417 573 661 or
info@platinumthoroughbredsvictoria.com or visit us online at: https://www.platinumthoroughbredsvictoria.com/
