The form of outstanding Fastnet Rock mare Via Sistina (IRE) was once again franked overnight in the UK when the Fastnet Rock mare she defeated to win the Group I Pretty Polly Stakes last year came out and won the Group II Dahlia Stakes Stakes (1m1f) at her first run this season.
A five year-old mare trained by Hughie Morrison, Stay Alert was a Group III winner at three, but last season at four did not come on as well as hoped for and connections were considering retirement at the end of last year.
They elected to push on and got an immediate reward when she powered clear to win the Dahlia Stakes by three and a half lengths with David Egan in the saddle.
A homebred for Arbib Bloodstock, Stay Alert has the overall record of four wins and two placings from 13 starts and will be a lovely broodmare prospect for the future.
“She was going to be retired, but at the very last minute Ben and Martyn (Arbib) said ‘let’s have another go’,” Hughie Morrison said.
“It was me who said she should be retired, as she is such a beautiful mare. She has all the quality and is out of a Galileo mare, but I’m actually a believer that horses improve from four to five.
“We looked after her as a young horse and tried not to run her on fast ground, as she is heavy-topped. She has always had a serious engine and the family have always stayed, so you would imagine she’d get a mile and a half but I’d say a mile and a quarter is her perfect trip.
“The obvious race to go for is the Pretty Polly in Ireland, which she was an unlucky second in last year but she does want decent ground and we’ll aim high and enter her in races like the Eclipse.”
Stay Alert is a full sister to stakes-winner Star Rock and is the best of five winners from five to race out of Group II placed Galileo mare Starfala.
Starfala is from stakes-winner Farfala, a full sister to Group I winner Fragrant Mix and Alpine Rose with this family also producing handy import Luncies (GB), who has won multiple Group races in Australia.
Fastnet Rock mares are in high demand as broodmares with the recently retired champion son of Danehill poised to claim his first Champion Broodmare title in Australia at the end of the season.
