Champion sire Fastnet Rock has had eight winners in the past seven days, three of them on Friday with a metropolitan double at Canterbury courtesy of Maddi Rocks and Zeppelin and a ‘One to Watch’ earlier in the day at Bathurst.
Click here to read about the One to Watch.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Zeppelin showed the benefit of race fitness and a good barrier to race on the pace and win the 1550m Benchmark 70 event by three-quarters of a length.
The five year-old gelding took his overall record to five wins and nine placings from 24 starts with prizemoney topping $150,000.
The Chris Waller trained three year-old filly Maddi Rocks didn’t quite measure up to stakes class in the spring, but may find herself headed in that direction in 2020 following this stylish return from a spell.
Allowed to settle near the rear by Tommy Berry, she unwound a powerful finish to surge home out wide and win the Benchmark 72 event over 1250m by a neck.
A $325,000 Magic Millions purchase for B K Racing/Guy Mulcaster from the Baramul Stud draft, Maddi Rocks was bred by Gerry Harvey and is one of two winners from blueblood Savannah River, a winning half-sister by Encosta de Lago to Cox Plate winner and champion sire Savabeel.
Savannah River was one of 98 mares covered last spring by Fastnet Rock, who is now equal with Deep Field as leading sire of three year-old winners this season.
