News - FASTNET ROCK (AUS)

The 2021 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale is underway and there were some serious fireworks early in the sale when Lot 22, a Fastnet Rock colt from Group I winner Small Minds was sold for $525,000.

For the second year in a row Fastnet Rock has sired the winner of the Group I New Zealand Derby (2400m) with Sherwood Forest winning in 2020 and Rocket Spade carrying the Hermitage Thoroughbreds colours to victory at Ellerslie on Sunday.

Avantage continued her march into the realms of super stardom when she made it career Group One number eight with a gritty win in the Group I El Cheapo Cars Weight-For-Age Classic (1600m).

Champion sire Fastnet Rock is enjoying a great season with his juveniles and produced the quinella in the Group II ATC Skyline Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday with O’President defeating Hilal.

Coolmore sires provided the quinella in the Listed Tasmanian Oaks (2100m) at Launceston on Sunday with Fastnet Rock filly Chequerboard posting a length and a half win over Adelaide (IRE) filly Queen Adele.

Well fancied Gr.1 Vodafone New Zealand Derby (2400m) candidate Rocket Spade threw down the gauntlet to his three-year-old rivals when he produced a strong staying performance to capture the Gr.2 AJC Avondale Guineas (2100m) at Ellerslie.

The Group II MRC Autumn Classic (1800m) at Caulfield on Saturday had not been won by a filly since 1991 when Triscay beat the colts, but this year it was a fillies renewal with Fastnet Rock up and comer Parure beating talented Savabeel filly Butter Chicken.

In what most pundits deemed a match race between Avantage and Levante, it was marvellous mare Avantage who triumphed as she made it seven career Group One wins when taking out a superb victory in the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa.

A six lengths win by a four-year-old daughter of I Am Invincible making her career debut; a five and three-quarter lengths triumph for an Irish-bred son of Fastnet Rock on his introduction to Australia; and an emotional win for a five-year-old gelding having his first start in 123 weeks, just some of the highlights from an intriguing Thursday night meeting at Pakenham Park.

Emirates Park already have their homebred filly Enthaar as favourite for the Golden Slipper and Blue Diamond, but their homebred Fastnet Rock colt Hilal put himself into contention for the big autumn juvenile features when winning impressively on debut at Randwick on Wednesday.

Exciting three-year-old Rocket Spade is tackling older horses at Te Rapa on Wednesday as part of his preparation for the Gr.1 Vodafone New Zealand Derby (2400m).

Champion sire Fastnet Rock is enjoying a great run with his two year-olds this season adding another impressive winner to the tally at Canterbury on Friday night when royally bred colt O’President scored a dominant victory.

Champion sire Fastnet Rock has had a lot of outstanding gallopers ,but Eleven Eleven has now become one of his highest stakes earners after scoring back-to-back Magic Millions wins on the Gold Coast with a determined performance in Saturday’s $1 million Pacific Fair Magic Millions Cup (1400m).

David Ellis was keen to secure the progeny of Fastnet Rock at Magic Millions this week signing for three cracking yearlings by the champion sire, who put him in the G1 winner’s list again at Trentham on Saturday.

The Fastnet Rock x Galileo cross runs at 22% stakes-winners to runners and there was only one yearling to be offered at Magic Millions bred this way and she duly attracted keen competition before being knocked down for $800,000.

Progressive staying prospect Star Tsar staked his claim for a start in the Gr.1 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m) in March with a dominant victory in Friday’s Dunstan Feeds Stayers Championship Final (2400m) at Ellerslie.

Champion sire Fastnet Rock was on fire in New Zealand on New Year’s Day and also at home where his Magic Millions contender Eleven Eleven powered clear to win the $150,000 ATC Christmas Classic (1200m) at Canterbury.

Champion sire Fastnet Rock put his stamp on the Ellerslie New Year’s Day meeting with three winners headed by his champion daughter Avantage, who put the icing on the cake when winning the Group I Sistema Railway (1200m) .

Owners Hermitage Thoroughbreds and trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott have gone back-to-back, scoring their second consecutive victory in the Group II SkyCity Auckland Guineas (1600m) at Ellerslie on Friday.

He cost $2.3million at the 2019 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and Merchant Navy’s little brother Setanta cast off maiden status at Warrnambool on New Year’s Eve.