Fastnet Rock, one of the very best sire sons of legendary stallion Danehill, is in the middle of another great season.
A dual Champion Sire in Australia in both 2011-2012 and 2014-2015, Fastnet Rock has already supplied four graded stakes winners since the start of 2020.
Fastnet Rock
Sarah Whitelaw writes that his star performers thus far include the remarkably versatile Avantage, a Gr1 winner from 1200-2000m, and Gr1 New Zealand Derby hero, Sherwood Forest. His 2yo daughter, Personal, looks poised for a big effort in the Gr1 Golden Slipper and she could well add further to her sire’s success, while Fastnet Rock’s son, Inverloch, captured the Listed Morning Cup Prelude on Saturday.
In The Black
Fastnet Rock has produced 156 stakes winners – and a further 130 plus black type horses – with his tally of black type winners headed by an impressive 38 individual Gr1 winners.
Sherwood Forest’s win ensured that Fastnet Rock is now the leading sire son of Danehill by individual Gr1 winners. In contrast, the late Redoute’s Choice has been responsible for 37 G1 winners, Dansili for 21, Exceed And Excel currently for 15, and Danehill Dancer for 23.
Remarkably, Fastnet Rock has produced at least one Gr1 winner per year since 2009. Not only has he proved to be a prolific sire of stakes horses, but the son of the versatile Danehill has also proved a very versatile stallion.
This fact can clearly be seen when looking at Fastnet Rock’s list of G1 winners, with his top level winners including top sprinters and classic winners. His progeny have notched up Gr1 victories in all of Australia, Britain, France, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, and North America. His current star, Avantage, is a perfect example of her sire’s versatility, with the filly winning the Gr1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (at two) over 1400m, and this season’s Gr1 JR &N Berkett Telegraph (over 1200m), the Gr1 Haunui Farm WFA Group One Classic (over 1600m) and the Gr1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (over 2000m).
A plain headed bay, Fastnet Rock made a tremendous start with his first crop (born in 2006), including 13 individual stakes winners of 23 black type races. From a limited number of runners, Fastnet Rock has also made his presence felt in South Africa. His son, Curved Ball, won three of seven starts, including the 2009 Gr2 Dingaans, before retiring to stud, while the blue-blooded Fastnet Rock daughter, Ngaga, won four in this country, including the Listed East Coast Cup of 2018.
Run Fast
The Fastnet Rock sired Gr1 William Reid Stakes winning son, Foxwedge, has also made his mark here, with Foxwedge the sire of both brilliant filly, Run Fox Run, (winner of five of her first six starts, including both the Gr2 World Sports Betting Southern Cross Stakes and Listed Olympic Duel Stakes) and Engen Performance Stakes winner, Infamous Fox. To date, Foxwedge is the sire of 17 stakes winners, with his progeny also including the Gr1 winners Foxplay, Urban Fox and Volpe Veloce.
Foxwedge
Foxwedge is not the only son of Fastnet Rock to make his mark at stud. His deceased son, Hinchinbrook, who died in 2018, has a total of 20 stakes winners to his name, with his star performers including the Gr1 winners, Beat The Clock (Hong Kong Sprint), Press Statement (Caulfield Guineas), Spring (Sangster Stakes), and Seabrook (Champagne Stakes).
Hinchinbrook’s high-class son, Press Statement, a Gr1 winner at both two and three, is currently among the leading first-crop sires in Australia this season.
The well- related Fastnet Rock horse, Smart Missile, (whose dam was a half-sister to ill-fated high-class sire, Northern Meteor), and Fastnet Rock’s Gr1 Newmarket Handicap winner, Wanted, are the sires of Gr1 winners Maid Of Heaven (Spring Champion Stakes) and Leicester (South Australian Derby) respectively. With sons such as Fascinating Rock and Merchant Navy yet to have runners, Fastnet Rock’s legacy as a sire of sires should continue to grow over the coming seasons.
Fastnet Rock’s sire, Danehill, as damsire of many top Galileo runners, including Frankel and Teofilo, has built up a remarkable record when mated to daughters of Galileo. At the time of writing, Galileo rates as the broodmare sire of seven of Fastnet Rock’s Gr1 winners, namely Qualify (Investec Oaks), Intricately (Moyglare Stud Stakes), Rivet (Racing Post Trophy), Zhukova (Man O’War Stakes), Magicool (Queensland Derby), Age Of Fire (Levin Classic), and Unforgotten (Australian Oaks).
Galileo Gold
In total, Galileo is broodmare sire of no fewer than 18 black-type winners sired by Fastnet Rock.
Galileo
Galileo’s sire, Sadler’s Wells, is damsire of the Fastnet Rock sired Gr1 Pretty Polly Stakes winner, Diamondsandrubies, while Sadler’s Wells’ son, Scenic, is damsire of the sire’s G1 Flight Stakes winner, First Seal.
Late champion sires Zabeel and Giant’s Causeway are other stallions whose daughters have enjoyed sustained success when sent to Fastnet Rock. Zabeel is broodmare sire of the Fastnet Rock sired Gr1 winners, Atlantic Jewel, Avantage, and Planet Rock, while Giant’s Causeway is damsire of the sire’s Gr1 winners, Awesome Rock and Sherwood Forest.
Winner of both the Gr1 Oakleigh Plate and Gr1 Lightning Stakes, Fastnet Rock is also enjoying increasing success as a broodmare sire, his tally being five stakes winners in 2020, including Gr1 Lightning Stakes winner, Gytrash (Lope De Vega). The latter is one of three Gr1 winners produced by daughters of Fastnet Rock thus far, joining Santa Ana Lane (Lope De Vega) and Tivaci (High Chaparral).
