Impressive Debut for Fastnet Rock Colt

Less than a week after Fastnet Rock posted a juvenile stakes quinella in New Zealand with exciting colts Heroic Valour and Mongolian Falcon, the champion sire produced another two year-old colt with stakes aspirations in Rock and Swing (2c Fastnet Rock x Dance on By, by Sadler’s Wells), who scored an eye-catching debut win at Warwick Farm on Wednesday. A big athletic colt prepared by James Cummings, he was fourth in a recent trial won by his stablemate and subsequent Group II winner Good Standing. Tackling 1200 metres for his first outing, Rock and Swing found the line strongly for Hugh Bowman to outpoint well bred filly Sparkle (More Than Ready (USA) from Group I winner Gallica) to win by a short half head. A $600,000 NZB Premier purchase from the Waikato Stud draft for Duncan Ramage’s DGR Thoroughbreds, Rock and Swing comes with a big pedigree as he is the first winner for Sadler’s Wells mare Dance on By (IRE), a full sister to Epsom Derby winner and leading sire High Chaparral (IRE). “He’s a very exciting colt and it was very pleasing to see him win like that,” said James Cummings, who has stakes goals in mind for the royally bred colt starting with the Group III ATC TL Baillieu Handicap over 1400 metres on March 26. “We’ll probably go for the Baillieu. The other option is the Pago Pago (Group II over 1200metres), but at this stage my recommendation would be for the longer options like the Baillieu and then the Fernhill (1600 metres) at Randwick. “I think in the spring he can be a very good horse from 1600 to 2000 metres. “Duncan (Ramage) has bought so many good horses from Karaka for us over the years, So You Think and Norzita… hopefully this colt will be another.”